HEGrUXiiLTIOKTS. 


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Executive  Committer 


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RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


BEING  A  COMPLETE  DESCRIPTION 

OF 

FARM  HOUSES,  COTTAGES, 

AND 

OUT  BUILDINGS, 

COMPRISING 

WOOD  HOUSES,  WORKSHOPS,  TOOL  HOUSES,  CARRIAGE  AND  WAGON 
HOUSES,  STABLES,  SMOKE  AND  ASH  HOUSES,  ICE  HOUSES, 
APIARY  OR  BEE  HOUSE,  POULTRY  HOUSES,  RAB- 
BITRY,  DOVECOTE,  PIGGERY,  BARNS  AND 
SHEDS  FOR  CATTLE,  &c,  &c,  &a. 

TOGETHER  WITH 

LAWNS,  PLEASURE  GROUNDS  AND  PARKS  ]  THE  FLOWER,  FRUIT  AW8 
VEGETABLE  GARDEN.     ALSO,  USEFUL  AND  ORNAMENTAL 
DOMESTIC    ANIMALS    FOR    THE  COUNTRY 
RESIDENT,    &C,   &C,  &C. 

ALSO, 

THE    BEST    METHOD  OF 

CONDUCTING  WATER  INTO  CATTLE  YARDS  AND  HOUSES. 


BY  LEWIS  F.  ALLEN. 


BEAUTIFULLY  ILLUSTRATED, 

NEW  YORK: 
C.   M.  SAXTON,  PUBLISHER, 

N  o  .    2  5  P  A  R  K  ROW. 
1  863. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1852. 

By  Lewis  F.  Allen, 

!*i  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  lor  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


The  writer  of  these  pages  ought,  perhaps,  to  apologize  for 
attempting  a  work  on  a  subject,  of  which  he  is  not  a  profes- 
sional master,  either  in  design  or  execution.  In  the  science 
of  Farm  buildings  he  claims  no  better  knowledge  than  a  long 
practical  observation  has  given  him.  The  thoughts  herein 
submitted  for  the  consideration  of  those  interested  in  the 
subject  of  Farm  buildings  are  the  result  of  that  observation, 
added  to  his  experience  in  the  use  of  such  buildings,  and  a 
conviction  of  the  inconveniences  attending  many  of  those 
already  planned  and  erected. 

Nor  is  it  intended,  in  the  production  of  this  work,  to  inter- 
fere with  the  labors  of  the  professional  builder.  To  such 
builder  all  who  may  be  disposed  to  adopt  any  model  or 
suggestion  here  presented,  are  referred,  for  the  various  details, 
in  their  specifications,  and  estimates,  that  may  be  required; 
presuming  that  the  designs  and  descriptions  of  this  work  will 
be  sufficient  for  the  guidance  of  any  master  builder,  in  their 
erection  and  completion. 


iv  ADVERTISEMENT. 

But  for  the  solicitation  of  those  who  believe  that  the 
undersigned  could  offer  some  improvements  in  the  construction 
of  Farm  buildings  for  the  benefit  of  our  landholders  and 
practical  farmers,  these  pages  would  probably  never  have 
appeared.  They  are  offered  in  the  hope  that  they  may  be 
useful  in  assisting  to  form  the  taste,  and  add  to  the  comfort  of 
those  who  are  the  main  instruments  in  embellishing  the  face 
of  our  country  in  its  most  pleasing  and  agreeable  features — 
the  American  Farmer. 

LEWIS  F.  ALLEK 

Black  Rock,  3T.  Y.  1851. 


Note. — For  throwing  the  Designs  embraced  in  these  pages 
into  their  present  artistic  form,  the  writer  is  indebted  to  Messrs. 
Otis  &  Brown,  architects,  of  Buffalo,  to  whose  skill  and  experi- 
ence he  takes  a  pleasure  in  recommending  such  as  may  wish 
instruction  in  the  plans,  drawings,  specifications,  or  estimates 
relating  to  either  of  the  designs  here  submitted,  or  for  others 
of  any  kind  that  may  be  adapted  to  their  purposes. 

LF.i 


CONTENTS. 


Pnga. 


Prefatory,    9 

Introductory,   13 

General  Suggestions,   19 

Style  of  Building  —  Miscellaneous,   23 

Position  of  Farm  Houses,    29 

Home  Embellishments,   32 

Material  for  Farm  Buildings,   37 

Outside  Color  of  Houses,   42 

A  Short  Chapter  on  Taste,   48 

The  Construction  of  Cellars,   54 

Ventilation  of  Houses,   56 

Interior  Accommodation  of  Houses,   65 

Chimney  Tops,   68 

Preliminary  to  our  Designs,   69 

Design  I.   A  Farm  House,   72 

Interior  Arrangement,   75 

Ground  Plan,   76 

Chamber  Plan,   77 

Miscellaneous,   80 

As  a  Tenant  House,   81 

Design  II.   Description,   84 

Ground  and  Chamber  Plans,   89 

Interior  Arrangement,   90* 

Miscellaneous  Details,   95 

Design  III.    Description,   101 

Ground  and  Chamber  Plans,   105 

Interior  Arrangement,   106 

Miscellaneous,   HI 


vi 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

Design  IV.   Description,   114 

Interior  Arrangement,  118 

Ground  Plan,   119 

Chamber  Plan,  120 

Surrounding  Plantations,  Shrubbery,  Walks,  <fec   125 

Tree  Planting  in  the  Highway,   129 

Design  V.   Description,   133 

Interior  Arrangement,   135 

Ground  Plan,   136 

Chamber  Plan,   142 

Construction,  Cost  of  Building,  <fec,   147 

Grounds,  Plantations,  and  Surroundings,  :  149 

Design  VI.   A  Southern,  or  Plantation  House,   154 

Interior  Arrangement,   159 

Chamber  Plan,   162 

Carriage  House,   163 

Miscellaneous,   163 

Lawn  and  Park  Surroundings,   166 

An  Ancient  New  England  Family,   168 

An  American  Homestead  of  the  Last  Century,   169 

Estimate  of  Cost  of  Design  VI,   172 

Design  VII.    A  Plantation  House,   175 

Interior  Arrangement,   176 

Ground  Plan,   177 

Chamber  Plan,   178 

Miscellaneous,   179 

Lawns,  Grounds,  Parks,  and  Woods,   181 

The  Forest  Trees  of  America,   183 

Influence  of  Trees  and  Forests  on  the  Character  of  men,  184 

Hillhouse  and  Walter  Scott  as  Tree  Planters,   187 

Doctor  Johnson,  no  Rural  Taste,   188 

Fruit  Garden  —  Orchard,   194 

How  to  lay  out  a  Kitchen  Garden,    197 

Flowers,   202 

Wild  Flowers  of  America,   20 

Succession  of  Home  Flowers,  206 

Farm  Cottages,  -  208 

Design  I,  and  Ground  Plan,  213 

Interior  Arrangement. „• . ;   214 


CONTENTS.  VM 

Page. 

Design  II,  and  Ground  Plan,  216 

Interior  Arrangement,  216 

Design  III,  and  Ground  Plan,  220 

Interior  Arrangement,   220 

Design  IV,  and  Ground  Plan,  226 

Interior  Arrangement,   229 

Cottage  Outside  Decoration,  231 

Cottages  on  the  Skirts  of  Estates,   233 

House  and  Cottage  Furniture,  235 

Apiary,  or  Bee  House,  24* 

View  of  Apiary  and  Ground  Plan,  and  description,  24^ 

Mode  of  Taking  the  Honey,   252 

An  Ice  House,   258 

Elevation  and  Ground  Plan,   260 

An  Ash  House  and  Smoke  House,  264 

Elevation  and  Ground  Plan,   265 

The  Poultry  House,   267 

Elevation  and  Ground  Plan,   269 

Interior  Arrangement,   273 

The  Dovecote,  275 

Different  Varieties  of  Pigeons,  278 

A  Piggery,  279 

Elevation  and  Ground  Plan,  281 

Interior  Arrangement,  282 

Construction  of  Piggery  —  Cost,   283 

Farm  Barns,  286 

Design  I.    Description,  291 

Interior  Arrangement,  and  Main  Floor  Plan,  293 

Underground  Plan,  and  Yard,  295 

Design  II.   Description,  300 

Interior  Arrangement,  303 

Floor  Plan,  304 

Barn  Attachments,  308 

Rabbits,  •   311 

Mr.  Rotch's  Description  of  his  Rabbits,  313 

Rabbits  and  Hutch,   315 

Dutch,  and  English  Rabbits,   318 

Mode  of  Feeding,  319 

Mr.  Rodman's  Rabbitry,  Elevation,  ?nd  Floor  Plan,..,  322 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

Explanations,  323 

Loft  or  Garret,  Explanation,  324 

Cellar  plan,  Explanation,  325 

Front  and  Back  of  Hutches,  and  Explanation,   326 

Dairy  Buildings,  330 

Cheese  Dairy  House,   330 

Elevation  of  Dairy  House  and  Ground  Plan,   331 

Interior  Arrangement,     333 

The  Butter  Dairy,   335 

The  Water  Ram,   237 

Figure  and  Description,  338 

Granary  —  Rat-proof,   343 

Improved  Domestic  Animals,   345 

Remarks,  353 

Waterfowls,   358 

The  African  Goose,  358 

China  Goose,  359 

Bremen  Goose,  360 

A  Word  About  Dogs,  362 

Smooth  Terrier,  365 

Shepherd  Dog,  369 

Fish-Ponds,    372 


PREFATORY. 


This  work  owes  its  appearance  to  the  absence  of  any  cheaf 
and  popular  book  on  the  subject  of  Rural  Architecture,  exclu- 
sively intended  for  the  farming  or  agricultural  interest  of  the 
United  States.  Why  it  is,  that  nothing  of  the  kind  has  been 
heretofore  attempted  for  the  chief  benefit  of  so  large  and  im- 
portant a  class  of  our  community  as  our  farmers  comprise,  is 
not  easy  to  say,  unless  it  be  that  they  themselves  have  indicated 
but  little  wish  for  instruction  in  a  branch  of  domestic  economy 
which  is,  in  reality,  one  of  great  importance,  not  only  to  their 
domestic  enjoyment,  but  their  pecuniary  welfare.  It  is,  too, 
perhaps,  among  the  category  of  neglects,  and  in  the  lack  of 
fidelity  to  their  own  interests  which  pervades  the  agricultural 
community  of  this  country,  beyond  those  of  any  other  profes- 
sion —  for  we  insist  that  agriculture,  in  its  true  and  extended 
sense,  is  as  much  a  profession  as  any  other  pursuit  whatever. 
To  the  reality  of  such  neglects  they  have  but  of  late  awaked, 

and  indeed  are  now  far  too  slowly  wheeling  into  line  for  more 
1* 


PREFATORY . 


active  progress  in  the  knowledge  pertaining  to  their  own 
advancement.  As  an  accessory  to  their  labors  in  such  ad- 
vancement, the  present  work  is  intended. 

It  is  an  opinion  far  too  prevalent  among  those  engaged  in 
the  more  active  occupations  of  our  people, —  fortified  indeed  in 
such  opinion,  by  the  too  frequent  example  of  the  farmer  him- 
self —  that  everything  connected  with  agriculture  and  agricul- 
tural life  is  of  a  rustic  and  uncouth  character;  that  it  is  a 
profession  in  which  ignorance,  as  they  understand  the  term,  is 
entirely  consistent,  and  one  with  which  no  aspirations  of  a  high 
or  an  elevated  character  should,  or  at  least  need  be  connected. 
It  is  a  reflection  upon  the  integrity  of  the  great  agricultural 
interest  of  the  country,  that  any  such  opinion  should  prevail; 
and  discreditable  to  that  interest,  that  its  condition  or  example 
should  for  a  moment  justify,  or  even  tolerate  it. 

Without  going  into  any  extended  course  of  remark,  we 
shall  find  ample  reason  for  the  indifference  which  has  prevailed 
among  our  rural  population,  on  the  subject  of  their  own  do- 
mestic architecture,  in  the  absence  of  familiar  and  practical 
works  on  the  subject,  by  such  as  have  given  any  considerable 
degree  of  thought  to  it;  and,  what  little  thought  has  been 
devoted  to  this  branch  of  building,  has  been  incidentally  rather 
than  directly  thrown  off  by  those  professionally  engaged  in  the 
finer  architectural  studies  appertaining  to  luxury  and  taste, 
instead  of  the  every- day  wants  of  a  strictly  agricultural  popula- 
tion, and,  of  consequence,  understanding  but  imperfectly  the 
wants  and  conveniences  of  the  farm  house  in  its  connection  with 
the  every-day  labors  and  necessities  of  farm  life. 


PREFATORY. 


xi 


tt  is  not  intended,  in  these  remarks,  to  depreciate  the  efforts 
of  those  who  have  attempted  to  instruct  our  farmers  in  this 
interesting  branch  of  agricultural  economy.  We  owe  them  a 
debt  of  gratitude  for  what  they  have  accomplished  in  the  intro- 
duction of  their  designs  to  our  notice ;  and  when  it  is  remarked 
that  they  are  insufficient  for  the  purposes  intended,  it  may  be 
also  taken  as  an  admission  of  our  own  neglect,  that  we  have  so 
far  disregarded  the  subject  ourselves,  as  to  force  upon  others 
the  duty  of  essaying  to  instruct  us  in  a  work  of  which  we  our- 
selves should  long  ago  have  been  the  masters. 

Why  should  a  farmer,  because  he  is  a  farmer,  only  occupy 
an  uncouth,  outlandish  house,  any  more  than  a  professional  man, 
a  merchant,  or  a  mechanic  ?  Is  it  because  he  himself  is  so 
uncouth  and  outlandish  in  his  thoughts  and  manners,  that  he 
deserves  no  better  ?  Is  it  because  his  occupation  is  degrading, 
his  intellect  ignorant,  his  position  in  life  low,  and  his  associa- 
tions debasing?  Surely  not.  Yet,  in  many  of  the  plans  and 
designs  got  up  for  his  accommodation,  in  the  books  and  publi- 
cations of  the  day,  all  due  convenience,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
respectability  or  the  elegance  of  domestic  life,  is  as  entirely 
disregarded  as  if  such  qualities  had  no  connection  with  the 
farmer  or  his  occupation.  We  hold,  that  although  many  of 
the  practical  operations  of  the  farm  may  be  rough,  laborious, 
and  untidy,  yet  they  are  not,  and  need  not  be  inconsistent  with 
the  knowledge  and  practice  of  neatness,  order,  and  even  ele- 
gance and  refinement  within  doors ;  and,  that  the  due  accom- 
modation of  the  various  things  appertaining  to  farm  stock,  farm 
•abor,  and  farm  life,  should  have  a  tendency  to  elevate  the  social 


PREFATORY. 


position,  the  associations,  thoughts,  and  entire  condition  of  the 
farmer.  As  the  man  himself  —  no  matter  what  his  occupa- 
tion —  be  lodged  and  fed,  so  influenced,  in  a  degree,  will  be 
his  practice  in  the  daily  duties  of  his  life.  A  squalid,  miserable 
tenement,  with  which  they  who  inhabit  it  are  content,  can  lead 
to  no  elevation  of  character,  no  improvement  in  condition,  either 
social  or  moral,  of  its  occupants.  But,  the  family  comfortably 
and  tidily,  although  humbly  provided  in  their  habitation  and 
domestic  arrangements,  have  usually  a  corresponding  character 
in  their  personal  relations.  A  log  cabin,  even, —  and  I  speak 
of  this  primitive  American  structure  with  profound  affection 
and  regard,  as  the  shelter  from  which  we  have  achieved  the 
most  of  our  prodigious  and  rapid  agricultural  conquests, —  may 
be  so  constructed  as  to  speak  an  air  of  neatness,  intelligence, 
and  even  refinement  in  those  who  inhabit  it. 

Admitting,  then,  without  further  argument,  that  well  con- 
ditioned household  accommodations  are  as  important  to  the 
farmer,  even  to  the  indulgence  of  luxury  itself,  when  it  can  be 
afforded,  as  for  those  who  occupy  other  and  more  active  pur- 
suits, it  is  quite  important  that  he  be  equally  well  instructed 
in  the  art  of  planning  and  arranging  these  accommodations, 
and  in  designing,  also,  the  various  other  structures  which  are 
necessary  to  his  wants  in  their  fullest  extent.  As  a  question 
of  economy,  both  in  saving  and  accumulating,  good  and  suffi- 
cient buildings  are  of  the  first  consequence,  in  a  pecuniary 
light,  and  when  to  this  are  added  other  considerations  touching 
our  social  enjoyment,  our  advancement  in  temporal  condition, 
?ur  associations,  our  position  and  influence  in  life,  and,  not  least 


PKEPAT011Y 


Xlli 


the  decided  item  of  national  good  taste  which  the  introduction 
of  good  buildings  throughout  our  extended  agricultural  country 
will  give,  we  find  abundant  cause  for  effort  in  improvement. 

It  is  not  intended  in  our  remarks  to  convey  the  impression 
that  we  Americans,  as  a  people,  are  destitute  of  comfortable, 
and,  in  many  cases,  quite  convenient  household  and  farm  ar- 
rangements. Numerous  farmeries  in  every  section  of  the 
United  States,  particularly  in  the  older  ones,  demonstrate  most 
fully,  that  where  our  farmers  have  taken  the  trot? ble  to  think 
on  the  subject,  their  ingenuity  has  been  equal,  in  the  items  of 
convenient  and  economical  arrangement  of  their  dwellings  and 
out-buildings,  to  their  demands.  But,  we  are  forced  to  say, 
that  such  buildings  have  been  executed,  in  most  cases,  with 
great  neglect  of  architectural  system,  taste,  or  effect;  and,  in 
many  instances,  to  the  utter  violation  of  all  propriety  in  appear- 
ance, or  character,  as  appertaining  to  the  uses  for  which  they 
are  applied. 

The  character  of  the  farm  should  be  carried  out  so  as  to 
express  itself  in  everything  which  it  contains.  All  should  bear 
a  consistent  relation  with  each  other.  The  farmer  himself  is  a 
plain  man.  His  family  are  plain  people,  although  none  the  less 
worthy,  useful,  or  exalted,  on  that  account.  His  structures,  of 
every  kind,  should  be  plain,  also,  yet  substantial,  where  sub- 
stance is  required.  All  these  detract  nothing  from  his  respect- 
ability or  his  influence  in  the  neighborhood,  the  town,  the 
county,  or  the  state.  A  farmer  has  quite  as  much  business 
in  the  field,  *  about  his  ordinary  occupations,  with  ragged  gar- 
ments, out  at  elbows  and  a  crownless  hat,  as  he  has  to  occupy 


PREFATORY. 


A  leaky,  wind-broken,  and  dilapidated  house.  Neither  is  hb 
any  nearer  the  mark,  with  a  ruffled  shirt,  a  fancy  dress,  or 
gloved  hands,  when  following  his  plough  behind  a  pair  of  fancy 
horses,  than  in  living  in  a  finical,  pretending  house,  such  as  we 
see  stuck  up  in  conspicuous  places  in  many  parts  of  the  country. 
All  these  are  out  of  place  in  each  extreme,  and  the  one  is  as 
absurd,  so  far  as  true  propriety  is  concerned,  as  the  other.  A 
itnessof  things,  or  a  correspondence  of  one  thing  with  another, 
should  always  be  preserved  upon  the  farm,  as  elsewhere ;  and 
there  is  not  a  single  reason  why  propriety  and  good  keeping 
should  not  as  well  distinguish  it.  Nor  is  there  any  good  cause 
why  the  farmer  himself  should  not  be  a  man  of  taste,  in  the 
arrangement  and  architecture  of  every  building  on  his  place,  as 
well  as  other  men.  It  is  only  necessary  that  he  devote  a  little 
time  to  study,  in  order  to  give  his  mind  a  right  direction  in  all 
that  appertains  to  this  department.  Or,  if  he  prefer  to  employ 
the  ingenuity  of  others  to  do  his  planning, —  which,  by  the  way, 
is,  in  most  cases,  the  more  natural  and  better  course, — he  cer- 
tainly should  possess  sufficient  judgment  to  see  that  such  plans 
be  correct  and  will  answer  his  purposes. 

The  plans  and  directions  submitted  in  this  work  are  intended 
to  be  of  the  most  practical  kind ;  plain,  substantial,  and  appli- 
cable, throughout,  to  the  purposes  intended,  and  such  as  are 
within  the  reach  —  each  in  their  kind  —  of  every  farmer  m  our 
country.  These  plans  are  chiefly  original;  that  is,  they  are 
not  copied  from  any  in  the  books,  or  from  any  structures  witb 
which  the  writer  is  familiar.  Yet  they  will  doubtless,  on 
examination,  be  found  in  several  cases  to  resemble  buildings, 


PKEFATOKY. 


XV 


both  in  outward  appearance  and  interior  arrangement,  with 
which  numerous  readers  may  be  acquainted.  The  object,  in 
addition  to  our  own  designs,  has  been  to  apply  practical  hints, 
gathered  from  other  structures  in  use,  which  have  seemed 
appropriate  for  a  work  of  the  limited  extent  here  offered,  and 
that  may  serve  to  improve  the  taste  of  all  such  as,  in  building 
useful  structures,  desire  to  embellish  their  farms  and  estates  in 
an  agreeable  style  of  home  architecture,  at  once  pleasant  to  the 
eye,  and  convenient  in  their  arrangement 


INTRODUCTORY. 


The  lover  of  country  life  who  looks  upon  rura.  objects 
in  the  true  spirit,  and,  for  the  first  time  surveys  the 
cultivated  portions  of  the  United  States,  will  be  struck 
witli  the  incongruous  appearance  and  style  of  our  farm 
houses  and  their  contiguous  buildings ;  and,  although, 
on  examination,  he  will  find  many,  that  in  their  interior 
accommodation,  and  perhaps  relative  arrangement  to 
each  other,  are  tolerably  suited  to  the  business  and 
convenience  of  the  husbandman,  still,  the  feeling  will 
prevail  that  there  is  an  absence  of  method,  congruity, 
and  correct  taste  in  the  architectural  structure  of  his 
buildings  generally,  by  the  American  farmer. 

We  may,  in  truth,  be  said  to  have  no  architecture  at 
all,  as  exhibited  in  our  agricultural  districts,  so  far  as 
any  correct  system,  or  plan  is  concerned,  as  the  better 
taste  in  building,  which  a  few  years  past  has  introduced 
among  us,  has  been  chiefly  confined  to  our  cities  and 
towns  of  rapid  growth.  Even  in  the  comparatively 
few  buildings  in  the  modern  style  to  be  seen  in  our 
farming  districts,  from  the  various  requirements  of 


INTRODUCTORY. 


those  buildings  being  partially  unknown  to  the  ar 
chitect  and  builder,  who  had  their  planning — and 
upon  whom,  owing  to  their  own  inexperience  in  such 
matters,  their  employers  have  relied  —  a  majority  of 
such  dwellings  have  turned  out,  if  not  absolute  fail- 
ures, certainly  not  what  the  necessities  of  the  farmer 
has  demanded.  Consequently,  save  in  the  mere  item 
of  outward  appearance  —  and  that,  not  always  —  the 
farmer  and  cottager  have  gained  nothing,  owing  to  the 
absurdity  in  style  or  arrangement,  and  want  of  fitness 
to  circumstances  adopted  for  the  occasion. 

We  have  stated  that  our  prevailing  rural  architecture 
is  discordant  in  appearance ;  it  may  be  added,  that  it  is 
also  uncouth,  out  of  keeping  with  correct  rules,  and, 
ofttimes  offensive  to  the  eye  of  any  lover  of  rural  har- 
mony. Why  it  is  so,  no  matter,  beyond  the  apology 
already  given  —  that  of  an  absence  of  cultivation,  and 
thought  upon  the  subject.  It  may  be  asked,  of  what 
consequence  is  it  that  the  farmer  or  small  property- 
holder  should  conform  to  given  rules,  or  mode,  in  the 
style  and  arrangement  of  his  dwelling,  or  out-buildings, 
so  that  they  be  reasonably  convenient,  and  answer  his 
purposes  ?  For  the  same  reason  that  he  requires  sym- 
metry, excellence  of  form  or  style,  in  his  horses,  his 
cattle,  or  other  farm  stock,  household  furniture,  or  per- 
sonal dress.  It  is  an  arrangement  of  artificial  objects, 
in  harmony  with  natural  objects ;  a  cultivation  of  the 
sympathies  which  every  rational  being  should  have, 
more  or  less,  with  true  taste;  that  costs  little  or  rothing 
in  the  attainment,  and,  when  attained,  is  a  source  of 
gratification  through  life.     Every  human  being  ia 


INTRODUCTORY. 


15 


bound,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  to  leave  the 
world  somewhat  better,  so  far  as  his  own  acts  or  exer- 
tions are  concerned,  than  he  found  it,  in  the  exercise 
of  such  faculties  as  have  been  given  him.  Such  duty, 
among  thinking  men,  is  conceded,  so  far  as  the  moral 
world,  is  concerned;  and  why  not  in  the  artificial? 
So  far  as  the  influence  for  good  goes,  in  all  practi- 
cal use,  from  the  building  of  a  temple,  to  the  knocking 
together  of  a  pig-stye — a  labor  of  years,  or  the  work 
of  a  day —  the  exercise  of  a  correct  taste  is  important, 
in  a  degree. 

In  the  available  physical  features  of  a  country,  no 
land  upon  earth  exceeds  North  America.  From  scen- 
ery the  most  sublime,  through  the  several  gradations 
of  magnificence  and  grandeur,  down  to  the  simply  pic- 
turesque and  beautiful,  in  all  variety  and  shade;  in 
compass  vast,  or  in  area  limited,  we  have  an  endless 
variety,  and,  with  a  pouring  out  of  God's  harmonies  in 
the  creation,  without  a  parallel,  inviting  every  intelli- 
gent mind  to  study  their  features  and  character,  in 
adapting  them  to  his  own  uses,  and,  in  so  doing,  to 
even  embellish  —  if  such  a  thing  be  possible  —  such 
exquisite  objects  with  his  own  most  ingenious  handi- 
work. Indeed,  it  is  a  profanation  to  do  otherwise ;  and 
when  so  to  improve  them  requires  no  extraordinary 
application  of  skill,  or  any  extravagant  outlay  in  ex- 
pense, not  to  plan  and  to  build  in  conformity  with  good 
taste,  is  an  absolute  barbarism,  inexcusable  in  a  land 
ake  ours,  and  among  a  population  claiming  the  intelli- 
gence we  do,  or  making  but  a  share  of  the  genera, 
progress  which  we  exhibit. 


16 


INTRODUCTORY. 


It  is  the  idea  of  some,  that  a  house  or  building  which 
the  farmer  or  planter  occupies,  should,  in  shape,  style, 
and  character,  be  like  some  of  the  stored-up  commodi- 
ties of  his  farm  or  plantation.  We  cannot  subscribe  to 
this  suggestion.  We  know  of  no  good  reason  why  the 
walls  of  a  farm  house  should  appear  like  a  hay  rick,  or 
its  roof  like  the  thatched  covering  to  his  wheat  stacks, 
because  such  are  the  shapes  best  adapted  to  preserve 
his  crops,  any  more  than  the  grocer's  habitation  should 
be  made  to  imitate  a  tea  chest,  or  the  shipping  mer- 
chant's a  rum  puncheon,  or  cotton  bale.  We  have 
an  idea  that  the  farmer,  or  the  planter,  according  to 
his  means  and  requirements,  should  be  as  well  housed 
and  accommodated,  and  in  as  agreeable  style,  too,  as 
any  other  class  of  community ;  not  in  like  character,  in 
all  things,  to  be  sure,  but  in  his  own  proper  way  and 
manner.  Nor  do  we  know  why  a  farm  house  should 
assume  a  peculiarly  primitive  or  uncultivated  style  of 
architecture,  from  other  sensible  houses.  That  it  be  a 
farm  house,  is  sufficiently  apparent  from  its  locality 
upon  the  farm  itself ;  that  its  interior  arrangement  be 
for  the  convenience  of  the  in-door  farm  work,  and  the 
proper  accommodation  of  the  farmer's  family,  should  be 
quite  as  apparent;  but,  that  it  should  assume  an  un- 
couth or  clownish  aspect,  is  as  unnecessary  as  that  the 
farmer  himself  should  be  a  boor  in  his  manners,  or  a 
doit  in  his  intellect. 

The  farm,  in  its  proper  cultivation,  is  the  foundation 
of  all  human  prosperity,  and  from  it  is  derived  the 
main  wealth  of  the  community.  From  the  farm  chiefly 
springs  that  energetic  class  of  men,  who  replace  tno 


INTRODUCTORY. 


17 


enervated  and  physically  decaying  multitude  continual- 
ly thrown  off  in  the  waste-weir  of  our  great  commercial 
and  manufacturing  cities  and  towns,  whose  population, 
without  the  infusion  —  and  that  continually — of  the 
strong,  substantial,  and  vigorous  life  blood  of  the  coun- 
try, would  soon  dwindle  into  insignificance  and  decrep- 
itude. Why  then  should  not  this  first,  primitive,  health- 
enjoying  and  life-sustaining  class  of  our  people  be 
equalty  accommodated  in  all  that  gives  to  social  and 
substantial  life,  its  due  development?  It  is  absurd  to 
deny  them  by  others,  or  that  they  deny  themselves, 
the  least  of  such  advantages,  or  that  any  mark  of  caste 
oe  attempted  to  separate  them  from  any  other  class  or 
profession  of  equal  wealth,  means,  or  necessity.  It  is 
quite  as  well  to  say  that  the  farmer  should  worship  on 
the  Sabbath  in  a  meeting-house^  built  after  the  fashion 
of  his  barn,  or  that  his  district  school  house  should  look 
like  a  stable,  as  that  his  dwelling  should  not  exhibit  all 
that  cheerfulness  and  respectability  in  form  and  feature 
which  belongs  to  the  houses  of  any  class  of  our  popula- 
tion whatever.  Not  that  the  farm  house  should  be  like 
the  town  or  the  village  house,  in  character,  style,  or 
architecture,  but  that  it  should,  in  its  own  proper  char- 
acter, express  all  the  comfort,  repose,  and  quietude 
which  belong  to  the  retired  and  thoughtful  occupation 
of  him  who  inhabits  it.  Sheltered  in  its  own  secluded, 
yet  independent  domain,  with  a  cheerful,  intelligent 
exterior,  it  should  exhibit  all  the  pains-taking  in  home 
embellishment  and  rural  decoration  that  becomes  its 
position,  and  whi  3h  would  make  it  an  object  of  attrac- 
tion and  regard. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


GENEKAL  SUGGESTIONS. 

In  ascertaining  what  is  desirable  to  the  convenien- 
ces, or  the  necessities  in  our  household  arrangement,  it 
may  be  not  unprofitable  to  look  about  us,  and  consider 
somewhat,  the  existing  condition  of  the  structures  too 
many  of  us  now  inhabit,  and  which,  in  the  light  of  true 
fitness  for  the  objects  designed,  are  inconvenient,  ab- 
surd, and  out  of  all  harmony  of  purpose;  yet,  under 
the  guidance  of  a  better  skill,  and  a  moderate  outlay, 
might  be  well  adapted,  in  most  cases,  to  our  conven- 
ience and  comfort,  and  quite  well,  to  a  reasonable 
standard  of  taste  in  architectural  appearance. 

At  the  threshold  —  not  of  the  house,  but  of  this 
treatise  —  it  may  be  well  to  remark  that  it  is  not  here 
assumed  that  there  h#,s  been  neither  skill,  ingenuity, 
nor  occasional  good  taste  exhibited,  for  many  genera- 
tions back,  in  the  United  States,  in  the  construction  of 
farm  and  country  houses.  On  the  contrary,  there  are 
found  in  the  older  states  many  farm  and  country  houses 


20 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


that  are  almost  models,  in  their  way,  for  convenience 
in  the  main  purposes  required  of  structures  of  their 
kind,  and  such  as  can  hardly  be  altered  for  the  better. 
Such,  however,  form  the  exception,  not  the  rule;  yet 
instead  of  standing  as  objects  for  imitation,  they  have 
been  ruled  out  as  antiquated,  and  unfit  for  modern 
builders  to  consult,  who  have  in  the  introduction  of 
some  real  improvements,  also  left  out,  or  discarded 
much  that  is  valuable,  and,  where  true  comfort  is  con- 
cerned, indispensable  to  perfect  housekeeping.  Altera- 
tion is  not  always  improvement,  and  in  the  rage  for 
innovation  of  all  kinds,  among  much  that  is  valuable,  a 
great  deal  in  house-building  has  been  introduced  that 
is  absolutely  pernicious.  Take,  for  instance,  some  of 
our  ancient-looking  country  houses  of  the  last  cen- 
tury, which,  in  America,  we  call  old.  See  their 
ample  dimensions;  their  heavy,  massive  walls;  their 
low,  comfortable  ceilings;  their  high  gables;  sharp 
roofs ;  deep  porches,  and  spreading  eaves,  and  contrast 
them  with  the  ambitious,  tall,  proportionless,  and  card- 
sided  things  of  a  modern  date,  and  draw  the  comparison 
in  true  comfort,  which  the  ancient  mansion  really 
affords,  by  the  side  of  the  other.  Bating  its  huge 
chimneys,  its  wide  fire-places,  its  heavy  beams  drop- 
ping below  the  ceiling  overhead,  and  the  lack  of  some 
modern  conveniences,  which,  to  be  added,  would  give 
all  that  is  desired,  and  every  man  possessed  of  a  proper 
judgment  will  concede  the  superiority  to  the  house  of 
the  last  century. 

That  American  house-building  of  the  last  fifty  years 
is  out  of  joint,  requires  no  better  proof  than  that  the 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


21 


main  improvements  which  have  been  applied  to  our 
rural  architecture,  are  in  the  English  style  of  farm  and 
country  houses  of  two  or  three  centuries  ago ;  so,  in 
that  particular,  we  acknowledge  the  better  taste  and 
judgment  of  our  ancestors.  True,  modern  luxury,  and 
in  some  particulars,  modern  improvement  has  made 
obsolete,  if  not  absurd,  many  things  considered  indis- 
pensable in  a  ruder  age.  The  wide,  rambling  halls  and 
rooms;  the  huge,  deep  fire-places  in  the  chimneys;  the 
proximity  of  out-buildings,  and  the  contiguity  of  stables, 
ricks,  and  cattle-yards  —  all  these  are  wisely  contracted, 
dispensed  with,  or  thrown  off  to  a  proper  distance;  but 
instead  of  such  style  being  abandoned  altogether,  as  has 
too  often  been  done,  the  house  itself  might  better  have 
been  partially  reformed,  and  the  interior  arrangement 
adapted  to  modern  convenience.  Such  changes  have 
in  some  instances  been  made ;  and  when  so,  how  often 
does  the  old  mansion,  with  outward  features  in  good 
preservation,  outspeak,  in  all  the  expression  of  home- 
bred comforts,  the  flashy,  gimcrack  neighbor,  which  in 
its  plenitude  of  modern  pretension  looks  so  flauntingly 
down  upon  it ! 

"We  cannot,  in  the  United  States,  consistently  adopt 
the  domestic  architecture  of  any  other  country,  through- 
out, to  our  use.  We  are  different  in  our  institutions, 
our  habits,  our  agriculture,  our  climates.  Utility  is  our 
chief  object,  and  coupled  with  that,  the  indulgence  of 
an  agreeable  taste  may  be  permitted  to  every  one  who 
creates  a  home  for  himself,  or  founds  one  for  his  family. 
The  frequent  changes  of  estates  incident  to  our  laws, 

and  &e  manv  inducements  held  out  to  our  people  tc 
"2 


22 


RURAL  ARCHITECTtrRE. 


change  their  locality  or  residence,  in  the  hope  of  bettei 
ing  their  condition,  is  a  strong  hindrance  to  the  adop- 
tion of  a  universally  correct  system  in  the  construction  of 
our  buildings ;  deadening,  as  the  effect  of  such  changes, 
that  home  feeling  which  should  be  a  prominent  trait  of 
agricultural  character.  An  attachment  to  locality  is 
not  a  conspicuous  trait  of  American  character ;  and  il 
there  be  a  people  on  earth  boasting  a  high  civilization 
and  intelligence,  who  are  at  the  same  time  a  roving 
race,  the  Americans  are  that  people ;  and  we  acknowl- 
edge it  a  blemish  in  our  domestic  and  social  con 
stitution. 

Such  remark  is  not  dropped  invidiously,  but  as  a 
reason  why  we  have  thus  far  made  so  little  progress  in 
the  arts  of  home  embellishment,  and  in  clustering  about 
our  habitations  those  innumerable  attractions  which 
win  us  to  them  sufficiently  to  repel  the  temptation  so 
often  presented  to  our  enterprise,  our  ambition,  or  love 
of  gain  —  and  these  not  always  successful  —  in  seeking 
other  and  distant  places  of  abode.  If,  then,  this  tend- 
ency to  change  —  a  want  of  attachment  to  any  one 
spot  —  is  a  reason  why  we  have  been  so  indifferent  to 
domestic  architecture;  and  if  the  study  and  practice  of 
a  better  system  of  building  tends  to  cultivate  a  homo 
feeling,  why  should  it  not  be  encouraged  ?  Home  at- 
tachment is  a  virtue.  Therefore  let  that  virtue  be  cher- 
ished. And  if  any  one  study  tend  to  exalt  our  taste, 
and  promote  our  enjoyment,  let  xm  cultivate  that  study 
to  the  highest  extent  within  our  roach, 


RURAL  iv_R C  HTTEOTCTIE . 


23 


STYLE  OF  BUILDING.— MISCELLANEOUS 


Diversified  as  are  the  features  of  our  country  in  cli- 
mate, soil,  surface,  and  position,  no  one  style  of  rural 
architecture  is  properly  adapted  to  the  whole ;  and  it  is 
a  gratifying  incident  to  the  indulgence  in  a  variety  of 
taste,  that  we  possess  the  opportunity  which  we  desire  in 
its  display  to  almost  any  extent  in  mode  and  effect. 
The  Swiss  chalet  may  hang  in  the  mountain  pass ;  the 
pointed  Gothic  may  shoot  up  among  the  evergreens  of 
the  rugged  hill-side ;  the  Italian  roof,  with  its  overlook 
ing  campanile,  may  command  the  wooded  slope  or  the 
open  plain;  or  the  quaint  and  shadowy  style  of  the  old 
English  mansion,  embosomed  in  its  vines  and  shrub- 
bery, may  nestle  in  the  quiet,  shaded  valley,  all  suited 
to  their  respective  positions,  and  each  in  harmony  with 
the  natural  features  by  which  it  is  surrounded.  Hor 
does  the  effect  which  such  structures  give  to  the  land- 
scape in  an  ornamental  point  of  view,  require  that  they 
be  more  imposing  in  character  than  the  necessities  of 
the  occasion  may  demand.  True  economy  demands  a 
structure  sufficiently  spacious  to  accommodate  its  oc- 
cupants in  the  best  manner,  so  far  as  convenience  and 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


comfort  arc  concerned  in  a  dwelling;  and  its  conform- 
ity to  just  rules  in  architecture  need  not  be  additionally 
expensive  or  troublesome.  He  who  builds  at  all,  if  it 
be  anything  beyond  a  rude  or  temporary  shelter,  may 
as  easily  and  cheaply  build  in  accordance  with  correct 
rules  of  architecture,  as  against  such  rules ;  and  it  no 
more  requires  an  extravagance  in  cost  or  a  wasteful 
occupation  of  room  to  produce  a  given  effect  in  a  house 
suited  to  humble  means,  than  in  one  of  profuse  accom- 
modation. Magnificence,  or  the  attempt  at  magnifi- 
cence in  building,  is  the  great  fault  with  Americans 
who  aim  to  build  out  of  the  common  line;  and  the 
consequence  of  such  attempt  is  too  often  a  failure,  ap- 
parent, always,  at  a  glance,  and  of  course  a  perfect 
condemnation  in  itself  of  the  judgment  as  well  as  taste 
of  him  who  undertakes  it. 

Holding  our  tenures  as  we  do,  with  no  privilege  of 
entail  to  our  posterity,  an  eye  to  his  own  interest,  or  to 
that  of  his  family  who  is  to  succeed  to  his  estate,  should 
admonish  the  builder  of  a  house  to  the  adoption  of  a 
plan  which  will,  in  case  of  the  sale  of  the  estate, 
involve  no  serious  loss.  He  should  build  such  a  house 
as  will  be  no  detriment,  in  its  expense,  to  the  selling 
value  of  the  land  on  which  it  stands,  and  always  fitted 
for  the  spot  it  occupies.  Hence,  an  imitation  of  the 
high,  extended,  castellated  mansions  of  England,  or  the 
Continent,  although  in  miniature,  are  altogether  un- 
suited  to  the  American  farmer  or  planter,  whose  lands, 
instead  of  increasing  in  his  family,  are  continually  sub- 
ject to  division,  or  to  sale  in  mass,  on  his  own  demise; 
and  when  the  estate  is  encumbered  with  unnecessarily 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


25 


large  and  expensive  buildings,  they  become  an  abso 
lute  drawback  to  its  value  in  either  event.  An  expen- 
sive house  requires  a  corresponding  expense  to  maintain 
it,  otherwise  its  effect  is  lost,  and  many  a  worthy  owner 
of  a  costly  mansion  has  been  driven  to  sell  and  aban- 
don his  estate  altogether,  from  his  unwillingness  or 
inability  to  support  "  the  establishment "  which  it  en- 
tailed; when,  if  the  dwelling  were  only  such  as  the 
estate  required  and  could  reasonably  maintain,  a  con- 
tented and  happy  home  would  have  remained  to  him- 
self and  family.  It  behooves,  therefore,  the  American 
builder  to  examine  well  his  premises,  to  ascertain  the 
actual  requirements  of  his  farm  or  plantation,  in  con 
venience  and  accommodation,  and  build  only  to  such 
extent,  and  at  such  cost  as  shall  not  impoverish  his 
means,  nor  cause  him  future  disquietude. 

Another  difficulty  with  us  is,  that  we  oftener  build 
to  gratify  the  eyes  of  the  public  than  our  own,  and  fit 
up  our  dwellings  to  accommodate  "  company"  or  visit- 
ors, rather  than  our  own  families ;  and  in  the  indul- 
gence of  this  false  notion,  subject  ourselves  to  perpetual 
inconvenience  for  the  gratification  of  occasional  hospi- 
tality or  ostentation.  This  is  all  wrong.  A  house 
should  be  planned  and  constructed  for  the  use  of  the 
household,  with  incidental  accommodation  for  our  im- 
mediate friends  or  guests  —  wThich  can  always  be  done 
without  sacrifice  to  the  comfort  or  convenience  of  the 
regular  inmates.  In  this  remark,  a  stinted  and  parsi- 
monious spirit  is  not  suggested.  A  liberal  appropria- 
tion of  rooms  in  every  department ;  a  spare  chamber 
or  two,  or  an  additional  room  on  the  ground  floor, 


26 


RURAL  ARCIIxrECTUEE. 


looking  to  sl  possible  increase  of  family,  and  tlie  indul- 
gence of  an  easy  hospitality,  should  always  govern  the 
resident  of  the  country  in  erecting  his  dwelling.  The 
enjoyments  of  society  and  the  intercourse  of  friends, 
sharing  for  the  time,  our  own  table  and  fireside,  is  a 
crowning  pleasure  of  country  life ;  and  all  this  may  be 
done  without  extraordinary  expense,  in  a  wise  con- 
struction of  the  dwelling. 

The  farm  house  too,  should  comport  in  character  and 
area  with  the  extent  and  capacity  of  the  farm  itself, 
and  the  main  design  for  which  it  is  erected.  To  the 
farmer  proper  —  he  who  lives  from  the  income  which 
the  farm  produces  —  it  is  important  to  know  the  extent 
of  accommodation  required  for  the  economical  manage- 
ment of  his  estate,  and  then  to  build  in  accordance  with 
it,  as  well  as  to  suit  his  own  position  in  life,  and  the 
station  which  he  and  his  family  hold  in  society.  The 
owner  of  a  hundred  acre  farm,  living  upon  the  income 
he  receives  from  it,  will  require  less  house  room  than 
he  who  tills  equally  well  his  farm  of  thi*ee,  six,  or  ten 
hundred  acres.  Yet  the  numbers  in  their  respective 
families,  the  relative  position  of  each  in  society,  or 
their  taste  for  social  intercourse  may  demand  a  larger 
or  smaller  household  arrangement,  regardless  of  the 
size  of  their  estates ;  still,  the  dwellings  on  each  should 
bear,  in  extent  and  expense,  a  consistent  relation  to 
the  land  itself,  and  the  means  of  its  owner.  For  in- 
stance :  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  may  safely  and 
economically  erect  and  maintain  a  house  costing  eight 
hundred  to  two  thousand  dollars,  while  one  of  five  hun- 
dred to  a  thousand  acres  may  range  in  an  expenditure 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


27 


of  twenty-five  hundred  to  five  thousand  dollars  in  its 
dwelling,  and  all  be  consistent  with  a  proper  economy 
in  farm  management. 

Let  it  be  understood,  that  the  above  sums  are  named 
as  simply  comporting  with  a  financial  view  of  the  sub- 
ject, and  such  as  the  economical  management  of  the 
estate  may  warrant.  To  one  who  has  no  regard  to 
such  consideration,  this  rule  of  expenditure  will  not 
apply.  He  may  invest  any  amount  he  so  chooses  in 
building  beyond,  if  he  only  be  content  to  pocket  the 
loss  which  he  can  never  expect  to  be  returned  in  an 
increased  value  to  the  property,  over  and  above  the 
price  of  cheaper  buildings.  On  the  other  hand,  he 
would  do  well  to  consider  that  a  farm  is  frequently 
worth  less  to  an  ordinary  purchaser,  with  an  extrava- 
gant house  upon  it,  than  with  an  economical  one,  and 
in  many  cases  will  bring  even  less  in  market,  in  pro- 
portion as  the  dwelling  is  expensive.  Fancy  purchas- 
ers are  few,  and  fastidious,  while  he  who  buys  only  for 
a  home  and  an  occupation,  is  governed  solely  by  the 
profitable  returns  the  estate  will  afford  upon  the  capita! 
invested. 

There  is  again  a  grand  error  w hich  many  fall  into  in 
building,  looking  as  they  do  only  at  the  extent  of  wood 
and  timber,  or  stone  and  mortar  in  the  structure,  and 
paying  no  attention  to  the  surroundings,  which  in  most 
cases  contribute  more  to  the  effect  of  the  establishment 
than  the  structure  itself,  and  which,  if  uncultivated  or 
neglected,  any  amount  of  expenditure  in  building  will 
fail  to  give  that  completeness  and  perfection  of  charac- 
ter which  every  homestead  should  command.  Thus 


(IURAL  ARCHITECTURE'. 


the  tawdry  erections  in  imitation  of  a  cast-ofT  feudalism 
in  Europe,  or  a  copying  of  the  massive  piles  of  more 
recent  date  abroad,  although  in  miniature,  both  in 
extent  and  cost,  is  the  sheerest  affectation,  in  which  no 
sensible  man  should  ever  indulge.  It  is  out  of  all 
keeping,  or  propriety  with  other  things,  as  we  in  this 
country  have  them,  and  the  indulgence  of  all  such 
fancies  is  sooner  or  later  regretted.  Substance,  conve- 
nience, purpose,  harmony — all,  perhaps,  better  summed 
up  in  the  term  expression — these  are  the  objects  which 
should  govern  the  construction  of  our  dwellings  and 
out-buildings,  and  in  their  observance  we  can  hardly 
err  in  the  acquisition  of  what  will  promote  the  highest 
enjoyment  which  a  dwelling  can  bestow. 


jastTRAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


29 


POSITION. 


The  site  of  a  dwelling  should  be  an  important  study 
with  every  country  builder ;  for  on  this  depends  much 
of  Jits  utility,  and  in  addition  to  that,  a  large  share  of 
the  enjoyment  which  its  occupation  will  afford.  Cus- 
tom, in  many  parts  of  the  United  States,  in  the  location* 
of  the  farm  buildings,  gives  advantages  which  are 
denied  in  others.  In  the  south,  and  in  the  slave  states 
generally,  the  planter  builds,  regardless  of  roads,  on 
the  most  convenient  site  his  plantation  presents;  the 
farmer  of  German  descent,  in  Pennsylvania  and  some 
other  states,  does  the  same :  while  the  Yankee,  be  he 
settled  where  he  will,  either  in  the  east,  north,  or  west, 
inexorably  huddles  himself  immediately  upon  the  high- 
way, whether  his  possessions  embrace  both  sides  of  it 
or  not,  disregarding  the  facilities  of  access  to  his  fields, 
the  convenience  of  tilling  his  crops,  or  the  character  of 
the  ground  which  his  buildings  may  occupy,  seeming 
to  have  no  other  object  than  proximity  to  the  road  —  as 
if  his  chief  business  was  upon  that,  instead  of  its  being 
simply  a  convenience  to  his  occupation.  To  the  last, 
but  little  choice  is  left;  and  so  long  as  a  close  connec- 
tion with'  the  thoroughfare  is  to  control,  he  is  obliged 
2* 


so 


BTJKAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


to  conform  to  accident  in  what  should  be  a  matter  of 

deliberate  choice  and  judgment.  Still,  there  are  right 
and  wrong  positions  for  a  house,  which  it  is  necessary 
to  discuss,  regardless  of  conventional  rules,  and  they 
should  be  considered  in  the  light  of  propriety  alone. 

A  fitness  to  the  purposes  for  which  the  dwelling  is 
constructed  should,  unquestionably,  be  the  governing 
point  in  determining  its  position.  The  site  should  be 
dry,  and  slightly  declining,  if  possible,  on  every  side ; 
but  if  the  surface  be  level,  or  where  water  occasionally 
flows  from  contiguous  grounds,  or  on  a  soil  naturally 
damp,  it  should  be  thoroughly  drained  of  all  super- 
fluous moisture.  That  is  indispensable  to  the  preser- 
vation of  the  house  itself,  and  the  health  of  its  inmates. 
The  house  should  so  stand  as  to  present  an  agreeable 
aspect  from  the  main  points  at  which  it  is  seen,  or  the 
thoroughfares  by  which  it  Is  approached.  It  should 
be  so  arranged  as  to  afford  protection  from  wind  and 
storm,  to  that  part  most  usually  occupied,  as  well  as  be 
easy  of  access  to  the  out-buildings  appended  to  it.  It 
should  have  an  unmistakable  front,  sides,  and  rear; 
and  the  uses  to  which  its  various  parts  are  applied, 
should  distinctly  appear  in  its  outward  character.  It 
should  combine  all  the  advantages  of  soil,  cultivation, 
water,  shade,  and  shelter,  which  the  most  liberal  grati- 
fication, consistent  with  the  circumstances  of  the  owner, 
may  demand.  If  a  site  on  the  estate  command  a  pros- 
pect of  singular  beauty,  other  things  equal,  the  dwel- 
ling should  embrace  it ;  if  the  luxury  of  a  stream,  or  a 
sheet  of  water  in  repose,  present  itself,  it  should,  if 
possible,  be  enjoyed;  if  the  shade  and  protection  of  a 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


31 


grove  be  near,  its  benefits  should  be  included ;  in  fine, 
any  object  in  itself  desirable,  and  not  embarrassing  to 
the  main  purposes  of  the  dwelling  and  its  appendages^ 
should  be  turned  to  the  best  account,  and  appropriated 
in  such  manner  as  to  combine  all  that  is  desirable  both 
in  beauty  and  effect,  as  well  as  in  utility,  to  make  up 
a  perfect  whole  in  the  family  residence. 

Attached  to  the  building  site  should  be  considered 
the  quality  of  the  soil,  as  affording  cultivation  and 
growth  to  shrubbery  and  trees, —  at  once  the  ornament 
most  effective  to  all  domestic  buildings,  grateful  to  the 
eye  always,  as  objects  of  admiration  and  beauty — 
delightful  in  the  repose  they  offer  in  hours  of  las- 
situde or  weariness ;  and  to  them,  that  indispensable 
feature  in  a  perfect  arrangement,  the  garden,  both  fruit 
and  vegetable,  should  be  added.  Happily  for  the 
American,  our  soils  are  so  universally  adapted  to  the 
growth  of  vegetation  in  all  its  varieties,  that  hardly  a 
farm  of  considerable  size  can  be  found  which  does  not 
afford  tolerable  facilities  for  the  exercise  of  all  the  tasto 
which  one  may  indulge  in  the  cultivation  of  the  garden 
as  well  as  in  the  planting  and  growth  of  trees  and 
shrubbery;  and  a  due  appropriation  of  these  to  an 
agreeable  residence  is  equal  in  importance  to  the  stylo 
and  arrangement  of  the  house  itself. 

The  site  selected  for  the  dwelling,  and  the  character 
of  the  scenery  and  objects  immediately  surrounding  it, 
should  have  a  controlling  influence  upon  the  style  in 
which  the  house  is  to  be  constructed.  A  fitness  and 
harmony  in  all  these  is  indispensable  to  both  express- 
ion and  effect.    And  in  their  determination,  a  singly 


32 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


object  should  not  control,  but  the  entire  picture,  as 
completed,  should  be  embraced  in  the  view ;  and  that 
style  of  building  constituting  the  most  agreeable  whole, 
as  filling  the  eye  with  the  most  grateful  sensations, 
should  be  the  one  selected  writh  which  to  fill  up  and 
complete  the  design. 


HOME  EMBELLISHMENTS. 

A  discussion  of  the  objects  by  way  of  embellishment, 
which  may  be  required  to  give  character  and  effect  to 
a  country  residence,  w^ould  embrace  a  range  too  wide, 
in  all  its  parts,  for  a  simply  practical  treatise  like  this ; 
and  general  hints  on  the  subject  are  all  indeed,  that 
will  be  required,  as  no  specific  rules  or  directions  can 
be  given  which  would  be  applicable,  indiscriminately, 
to  guide  titie  builder  in  the  execution  of  his  work.  A 
dwelling  house,  no  matter  what  the  style,  standing 
alone,  either  on  hill  or  plain,  apart  from  other  objects, 
would  hardly  be  an  attractive  sight.  As  a  mere  rep- 
resentation of  a  particular  style  of  architecture,  or  as  a 
model  of  imitation,  it  might  excite  our  admiration,  but 
it  would  not  be  an  object  on  which  the  eye  and  the 
imagination  could  repose  with  satisfaction.  It  would  be 
incomplete  unless  accompanied  by  such  associates  as 
the  eye  is  accustomed  to  embrace  in  the  full  gratifica- 
tion of  the  sensations  to  which  that  organ  is  the 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


33 


conductor.  But  assemble  around  that  dwelling  subor- 
dinate structures,  trees,  and  shrubbery  properly  dis- 
posed, and  it  becomes  an  object  of  exceeding  interest 
and  pleasure  in  the  contemplation.  It  is  therefore, 
that  the  particular  style  or  outward  arrangement  of  the 
house  is  but  a  part  of  what  should  constitute  the  gen- 
eral effect,  and  such  style  is  to  be  consulted  only  so  far 
as  it  may  in  itself  please  the  taste,  and  give  benefit  or 
utility  in  the  purposes  for  which  it  is  intended.  Still, 
the  architectural  design  should  be  in  harmony  with  the 
features  of  the  surrounding  scenery,  and  is  thus  im- 
portant in  completing  the  effect  sought,  and  which 
cannot  be  accomplished  without  it. 

A  farm  with  its  buildings,  or  a  simple  country  resi- 
dence with  the  grounds  which  enclose  it,  or  a  cottage 
with  its  door-yard  and  garden,  should  be  finished 
sections  of  the  landscape  of  which  it  forms  a  part,  or 
attractive  points  within  it ;  and  of  consequence,  com- 
plete each  within  itself,  and  not  dependent  upon  distant 
accessories  to  support  it  —  an  imperium  in  imperio^  in 
classic  phrase.  A  tower,  a  monument,  a  steeple,  or 
the  indistinct  outline  of  a  distant  town  may  form  a 
striking  feature  in  a  pictorial  design  and  the  associa- 
tions connected  with  them,  or,  the  character  in  which 
they  are  contemplated  may  allow  them  to  stand  naked 
and  unadorned  by  other  objects,  and  still  permit  them 
to  fill  up  in  perfect  harmony  the  picture.  This  idea 
wTill  illustrate  the  importance  of  embellishment,  not 
only  in  the  substitution  of  trees  as  necessary  append- 
ages to  a  complete  rural  establishment,  but  in  the 
erection  of  all  the  buildings  necessary  for  occupation 


34: 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


in  any  manner,  in  form  and  position,  to  give  effect 
from  any  point  of  view  in  which  the  homestead  may 
be  seen.  General  appearance  should  not  be  confined 
to  one  quarter  alone,  but  the  house  and  its  surround 
ings  on  every  side  should  show  completeness  in  design 
and  harmony  in  execution ;  and  although  humble,  and 
devoted  to  the  meanest  purposes,  a  portion  of  these 
erections  may  be,  yet  the  character  of  utility  or  neces 
sity  which  they  maintain,  gives  them  an  air  of  dignity , 
if  not  of  grace.  Thus,  a  house  and  out-buildinge 
flanked  with  orchards,  or  a  wood,  on  which  they 
apparently  fall  back  for  support,  fills  the  eye  at  once 
with  not  only  a  beautiful  group,  in  themselves  com 
bined,  but  associate  the  idea  of  repose,  of  comforts 
and  abundance  —  indispensable  requisites  to  a  perfed 
farm  residence.  They  also  seem  to  connect  the  house 
and  out-buildings  with  the  fields  beyond,  which  are  oi 
necessity  naked  of  trees,  and  gradually  spread  the 
view  abroad  over  the  farm  until  it  mingles  with,  01 
is  lost  in  the  general  landscape. 

These  remarks  may  seem  too  refined,  and  as  out  of 
place  here,  and  trenching  upon  the  subject  of  Land 
scape  Gardening,  which  is  not  designed  to  be  a  part, 
or  but  an  incidental  one  of  the  present  work,  yet  they 
are  important  in  connection  with  the  subject  under 
discussion.  The  proper  disposition  of  trees  and  shrub- 
bery around,  or  in  the  vicinity  of  buildings  is  far  too 
little  understood,  although  tree  planting  about  our 
dwellings  is  a  practice  pretty  general  throughout  our 
country.  Nothing  is  more  common  than  to  see  a  man 
build  a  house,  perhaps  in  most  elaborate  and  expensive 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


35 


style,  and  then  plant  a  row  of  trees  close  upon  the 
front,  which  when  grown  will  shut  it  almost  entirely 
out  ojc  view;  while  he  leaves  the  rear  as  bald  and 
unprotected  as  if  it  were  a  barn  or  a  horse-shed  —  as 
if  in  utter  ignorance,  as  he  probably  is,  that  his  house 
is  more  effectively  set  off  by  a  flanking  and  hack- 
ground  of  tree  and  shrubbery,  than  in  front.  And  this 
is  called  good  taste !  Let  us  examine  it.  Trees  near 
a  dwelling  are  desirable  for  shade ;  shelter  they  do  not 
afford  except  in  masses,  which  last  is  always  better 
given  to  the  house  itself  by  a  veranda.  Immediately 
adjoining,  or  within  touching  distance  of  a  house,  trees 
create  dampness,  more  or  less  litter,  and  frequently 
vermin.  They  injure  the  walls  and  roofs  by  their 
continual  shade  and  dampness.  They  exclude  the 
rays  of  the  sun,  and  prevent  a  free  circulation  of  air. 
Therefore,  close  to  the  house,  trees  are  absolutely  per- 
nicious, to  say  nothing  of  excluding  all  its  architectural 
effect  from  observation;  wdien,  if  planted  at  proper 
distances,  they  compose  its  finest  ornaments. 

If  it  be  necessarv  to  build  in  p;ood  taste  at  all,  it  is 
quite  as  necessary  that  such  good  taste  be  kept  in 
view  throughout.  A  country  dwelling  should  always 
be  a  conspicuous  object  in  its  full  character  and  out- 
line, from  one  or  more  prominent  points  of  observation ; 
consequently  all  plantations  of  tree  or  shrubbery  in  its 
immediate  vicinity  should  be  considered  as  aids  to 
show  off  the  house  and  its  appendages,  instead  of  be- 
coming the  principal  objects  of  attraction  in  themselves. 
Their  disposition  should  be  such  as  to  create  a  perfect 
aod  agreeable  whole,  when  seen  in  connection  with  the 


36 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


house  itself.  They  should  also  be  so  placed  as  to  open 
the  surrounding  landscape  to  view  in  its  most  attractive 
features,  from  the  various  parts  of  the  dwelling.  Much 
in  the  effective  disposition  of  trees  around  the  dwelling 
will  thus  depend  upon  the  character  of  the  country 
seen  from  it,  and  which  should  control  to  a  great  extent 
their  position.  A  single  tree,  of  grand  and  stately 
dimensions,  will  frequently  give  greater  effect  than  the 
most  studied  plantations.  A  ledge  of  rock,  in  the 
clefts  of  which  wild  vines  may  nestle,  or  around  which 
a  mass  of  shrubbery  may  cluster,  will  add  a  charm  to 
the  dwelling  which  an  elaborate  cultivation  would  fail 
to  bestow;  and  the  most  negligent  apparel  of  nature 
in  a  thousand  ways  may  give  a  character  which  we 
might  strive  in  vain  to  accomplish  by  our  own  inven- 
tion. In  the  efforts  to  embellish  our  dwellings  or 
grounds,  the  strong  natural  objects  with  which  they 
are  associated  should  be  consulted,  always  keeping  in 
view  an  expression  of  the  chief  character  to  which  the 
whole  is  applied, 


BURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


MATERIAL  FOR  FARM  BUILDINGS. 


In  a  country  like  ours,  containing  within  its  soib 
and  upon  its  surface  such  an  abundance  and  variety  of 
building  material,  the  composition  of  our  farm  erections 
must  depend  in  most  cases  upon  the  ability  or  the 
choice  of  the  builder  himself. 

Stone  is  the  most  durable,  in  the  long  run  the  cheap- 
est, and  as  a  consequence,  the  best  material  which  can 
be  furnished  for  the  walls  of  a  dwelling.  With  other 
farm  buildings  circumstances  may  govern  differently ; 
still,  in  many  sections  of  the  United  States,  even  stone 
cannot  be  obtained,  except  at  an  expense  and  incon- 
venience altogether  forbidding  its  use.  Tet  it  is  a 
happy  relief  that  where  stone  is  difficult,  or  not  at  all 
to  be  obtained,  the  best  of  clay  for  bricks,  is  abundant ; 
and  in  almost  all  parts  of  our  country,  even  where 
building  timber  is  scarce,  its  transportation  is  so  com- 
paratively light,  and  the  facilities  of  removing  it  are 
so  cheap,  that  wood  is  accessible  to  every  one.  Hence 
we  may  indulge  in  almost  every  fitting  style  of  archi- 
tecture and  arrangement,  to  which  either  kind  of  these 
materials  are  best  adapted.  We  shall  slightly  discuss 
them  as  applicable  to  our  purposes. 


38 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


Stone  is  found  either  on  the  surface,  or  in  quarries 
under  ground.  On  the  surface  they  lie  chiefly  as 
bowlders  of  less  or  greater  size,  usually  of  hard  and 
durable  kinds.  Large  bowlders  may  be  either  blasted, 
or  split  with  wedges  into  sufficiently  available  shapes 
to  lay  in  walls  with  mortar;  or  if  small,  they  may  with 
a  little  extra  labor,  be  fitted  by  the  aid  of  good  mortar 
into  equally  substantial  wall  as  the  larger  masses.  In 
quarries  they  are  thrown  out,  either  by  blasting  or 
splitting  in  layers,  so  as  to  form  regular  courses  when 
laid  up;  and  ail  their  varieties  may,  unhammered, 
except  to  strike  off  projecting  points  or  angles,  be  laid 
up  with  a  sufficiently  smooth  face  to  give  fine  effect  to 
a  building.  Thus,  when  easily  obtained,  aside  from 
the  greater  advantages  of  their  durability,  stone  is  as 
cheap  in  the  first  instance  as  lumber,  excepting  in  new 
districts  of  country  where  good  building  lumber  is  the 
chief  article  of  production,  and  cheaper  than  brick  in 
any  event.  Stone  requires  no  paint.  Its  color  is  a 
natural,  therefore  an  agreeable  one,  be  it  usually  what 
it  may,  although  some  shades  are  more  grateful  to  the 
eye  than  others;  yet  it  is  always  in  harmony  with 
natural  objects,  and  particularly  so  on  the  farm  where 
everything  ought  to  wear  the  most  substantial  appear- 
ance. The  outer  walls  of  a  stone  house  should  always 
be  jvrred  off  inside  for  lathing  and  plastering,  to  keep 
them  thoroughly  dry.  Without  that,  the  rooms  are 
liable  to  dampness,  which  would  penetrate  through  the 
stone  into  the  inside  plastering  unless  cut  off  by  an 
open  space  of  air  between. 

Biicks,  where  stone  is  not  found,  supply  its  place 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


39 


tolerably  well.  "When  made  of  good  clay,  rightly 
tempered  with  sand,  and  well  burned,  they  will  in  a 
wall  remain  for  centuries,  and  as  far  as  material  is 
concerned,  answer  all  purposes.  Brick  walls  may  be 
thinner  than  stone  walls,  but  they  equally  require 
"firring  off"  for  inside  plastering,  and  in  addition, 
they  need  the  aid  of  paint  quite  as  often  as  wood,  to 
give  them  an  agreeable  color — bricks  themselves  not 
usually  being  in  the  category  of  desirable  colors  or 
shades. 

Wood,  when  abundant  and  easily  obtained,  is  worked 
with  the  greatest  facility,  and  on  many  accounts,  is  the 
cheapest  material,  for  the  time,  of  which  a  building 
can  be  constructed.  But  it  is  perishable.  It  requires 
every  few  years  a  coat  of  paint,  and  is  always  asso- 
ciated with  the  idea  of  decay.  Yet  wood  may  be 
moulded  into  an  infinite  variety  of  form  to  please 
the  eye,  in  the  indulgence  of  any  peculiar  taste  or 
fancy. 

We  cannot,  in  the  consideration  of  material  for 
house-building  therefore,  urge  upon  the  farmer  the 
adoption  of  either  of  the  above  named  materials  to  the 
preference  of  another,  in  any  particular  structure  he 
may  require ;  but  leave  him  to  consult  his  own  circum- 
stances in  regard  to  them,  as  best  he  may.  But  this 
we  will  say  i  If  it  he  possible,  never  lay  a  cellar  or 
underground  wall  of  perishable  material,  such  as  wood 
or  soft  bricks ;  nor  build  with  soft  or  tcnbumt  bricks 
in  a  wall  exposed  to  the  weather  anywhere  /  nor  with 
stone  which  is  liable  to  crumble  or  disintegrate  by  the 
action  of  frost  or  water  upon  it.    We  are  aware  that 


40 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


unburnt  bricks  have  been  strongly  recommended  fox 
house-building  in  America ;  but  from  observation,  we 
are  fully  persuaded  that  they  are  worthless  for  any 
permanent  structure,  and  if  used,  will  in  the  end 
prove  a  dead  loss  in  their  application.  Cottages,  out- 
buildings, and  other  cheap  erections  on  the  farm,  for 
the  accommodation  of  laborers,  stock,  or  crops,  may  be 
made  of  wood,  where  wood  is  the  cheapest  and  most 
easily  obtained ;  and,  even  taking  its  perishable  nature 
into  account,  it  may  be  the  most  economical.  In  their 
construction,  it  may  be  simply  a  matter  of  calculation 
with  him  who  needs  them,  to  calculate  the  first  cost  of 
any  material  he  has  at  hand,  or  may  obtain,  and  to 
that  add  the  interest  upon  it,  the  annual  wear  and  tear, 
the  insurance,  and  the  period  it  may  last,  to  determine 
this  matter  to  his  entire  satisfaction  —  always  provided 
he  have  the  means  at  hand  to  do  either.  But  other 
considerations  generally  control  the  American  farmer. 
His  pocket  is  apt  more  often  to  be  pinched,  than  his 
choice  is  to  be  at  fault;  and  this  weighty  argument 
compels  him  into  the  "make  shift"  system,  which 
perhaps  in  its  results,  provided  the  main  chance  be 
attained,  is  quite  as  advantageous  to  his  interests  as 
the  other. 

As  a  general  remark,  all  buildings  should  show  for 
themselves,  what  they  are  built  of.  Let  stone  be 
stone ;  bricks  show  on  their  own  account ;  and  of  all 
things,  put  no  counterfeit  by  way  of  plaster,  stucco,  or 
other  false  pretence  other  than  paint,  or  a  durable 
wash  upon  wood :  it  is  a  miserable  affectation  always, 
and  of  no  possible  use  whatever.    All  counterfeit  of 


RURAL.  ARCHITECTURE. 


41 


any  kind  as  little  becomes  the  buildings  of  tlie  farmer, 
as  the  gilded  pinchbeck  watch  would  fit  the  finished 
attire  of  a  gentleman. 

Before  submitting  the  several  designs  proposed  for 
tin's  work,  it  may  be  remarked,  that  in  addressing 
them  to  a  climate  strictly  American,  we  have  in  every 
instance  adopted  the  wide,  steeply-pitched  roof,  with 
broad  eaves,  gables  and  cornices,  as  giving  protection, 
shade,  and  shelter  to  the  walls ;  thus  keeping  them  dry 
and  in  good  preservation,  and  giving  that  well  housed, 
and  comfortable  expression,  so  different  from  the  stiff, 
pinched,  and  tucked-up  look  in  which  so  many  of  the 
haberdasher -built  houses  of  the  present  day  exult. 

We  give  some  examples  of  the  hipped  roof,  becaase 
they  are  convenient  and  cheap  in  their  construction ; 
and  we  also  throw  into  the  designs  a  lateral  direction 
to  the  roofs  of  the  wings,  or  connecting  parts  of  the 
building;.  This  is  sometimes  done  for  effect  in  archi- 
tectural  appearance,  and  sometimes  for  the  economy 
and  advantage  of  the  building  itself.  Where  roofs 
thus  intersect  or  connect  with  a  side  wall,  the  connect- 
ing gutters  should  be  made  of  copper,  zinc,  lead,  gal- 
vanized iron,  or  tin,  into  which  the  shingles,  if  they  be 
covered  with  that  material,  should  be  laid  so  as  to 
effectually  prevent  leakage.  The  eave  gutters  should 
be  of  copper,  zinc,  lead,  galvanized  iron  or  tin,  also, 
and  placed  at  least  one  foot  back  from  the  edge  of  the 
roof,  and  lead  the  water  into  conductors  down  the  wall 
into  the  cistern  or  elsewhere,  as  may  be  required.  If 
the  water  be  not  needed,  and  the  roof  be  wide  o^er  the 
walls,  there  is  no  objection  to  let  it  pass  off  naturally, 


42 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


if  it  be  no  inconvenience  to  the  ground  "below,  and  can 
run  off,  or  be  absorbed  into  the  ground  without  detri- 
ment to  the  cellar  walls.  All  this  must  be  subject  to 
the  judgment  of  the  proprietor  himself. 


OUTSIDE  COLOR 

We  are  not  among  those  who  cast  off,  and  on  a 
sudden  condemn,  as  out  of  all  good  taste,  the  time-hon- 
ored white  house  with  its  green  blinds,  often  so  taste- 
fully gleaming  out  from  beneath  the  shade  of  summer 
trees ;  nor  clo  we  doggedly  adhere  to  it,  except  when 
in  keeping,  by  contrast  or  otherwise,  with  everything 
around  it.  For  a  century  past  white  has  been  the 
chief  color  of  our  wooden  houses,  and  often  so  of  brick 
ones,  in  the  United  States.  This  color  has  been  sup- 
posed to  be  strong  and  durable,  being  composed  chiefly 
of  white  lead ;  and  as  it  reflected  the  rays  of  the  sun 
instead  of  absorbing  them,  as  some  of  the  darker  colors 
do,  it  was  thus  considered  a  better  preserver  of  the 
weather-boarding  from  the  cracks  which  the  fervid 
heat  of  the  sun  is  apt  to  make  upon  it,  than  the  darker 
colors.  White,  consequently,  has  always  been  consid- 
ered, until  within  a  few  years  past,  as  a  fitting  and 
tasteful  color  for  dwellings,  both  in  town  and  country. 
A  new  school  of  taste  in  colors  has  risen,  however, 
within  a  few  years  past,  among  us ;  about  the  same 
time,  too,  that  the  recent  gingerbread  and  t>eadworb 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


43 


style  of  country  building  was  introduced.  And  these 
were  both,  as  all  new  things  are  apt  to  be,  carried  to 
extremes.  Instead  of  toning  down  the  glare  of  the 
white  into  some  quiet,  neutral  shade,  as  a  straw  color; 
a  drab  of  different  hues  —  always  an  agreeable  and 
appropriate  color  for  a  dwelling,  particularly  when  the 
door  and  window  casings  are  dressed  with  a  deeper  or 
lighter  shade,  as  those  shades  predominate  in  the 
main  body  of  the  house ;  or  a  natural  and  soft  wood 
color,  which  also  may  be  of  various  shades ;  or  even 
the  warm  russet  hue  of  some  of  our  rich  stones  —  quite 
appropriate,  too,  as  applied  to  wood,  or  bricks  —  the 
fashion  must  be  followed  without  either  rhyme  or 
reason,  and  hundreds  of  our  otherwise  pretty  and 
imposing  country  houses  have  been  daubed  over  with 
the  dirtiest,  gloomiest  pigment  imaginable,  making 
every  habitation  which  it  touched  look  more  like  a 
funeral  appendage  than  a  cheerful,  life-enjoying  home 
We  candidly  say  that  we  have  no  sort  of  affection  for 
such  sooty  daubs.  The  fashion  which  dictates  them  is 
a  barbarous,  false,  and  arbitrary  fashion ;  void  of  all 
natural  taste  in  its  inception ;  and  to  one  who  has  a 
cheerful,  life-loving  spirit  about  him,  such  colors  have 
no  more  fitness  on  his  dwelling  or  out-buildings,  than 
a  tomb  would  have  in  his  lawn  or  dooryard. 

Locality,  amplitude  of  the  buildings,  the  purpose  to 
which  they  are  applied  —  every  consideration  con- 
nected with  them,  in  fact,  should  be  consulted,  as  to 
color.  Stone  will  give  its  own  color ;  which,  by  the 
way,  some  prodigiously  smart  folks  paint  —  quite  as 
decorous  or  essential,  as  to  "  paint  the  lily."  Brick 


44 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


sometimes  must  be  painted,  but  it  should  be  of  a  color 
in  keeping  with  its  character, —  of  substance  and  dig* 
nity ;  not  a  counterfeit  of  stone,  or  to  cheat  him  whc 
looks  upon  it  into  a  belief  that  it  may  be  marble,  or 
other  unfounded  pretension.  A  warm  russet  is  most 
appropriate  for  brick-work  of  any  kind  of  color  —  the 
color  of  a  russet  apple,  ,  or  undressed  leather  —  shades 
that  comport  with  Milton's  beautiful  idea  of 

"  Russet  lawns  and  faUows  gray." 

Red  and  yellow  are  both  too  glaring,  and  slate,  or  lead 
colors  too  somber  and  cold.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  strong 
argument  in  favor  of  bricks  in  building,  where  they 
can  be  had  as  cheap  as  stone  or  wood,  that  any  color 
can  be  given  to  them  which  the  good  taste  of  the 
builder  may  require,  in  addition  to  their  durability, 
whichj  when  made  of  good  material,  and  properly 
burned,  is  quite  equal  to  stone.  In  a  wooden  struc- 
ture one  may  play  with  his  fancy  in  the  way  of  color, 
minding  in  the  operation,  that  he  does  not  play  the 
mountebank,  and  like  the  clown  in  the  circus,  make 
his  tattooed  tenement  the  derision  of  men  of  correct 
taste,  as  the  other  does  his  burlesque  visage  the  ridicule 
of  his  auditors. 

A  wooden  country  house,  together  with  its  out-build- 
ings, should  always  be  of  a  cheerful  and  softly-toned 
color — a  color  giving  a  feeling  of  warmth  and  comfort; 
nothing  glaring  or  flashy  about  it.  And  yet,  such 
buildings  should  not,  in  their  color,  any  more  than  in 
their  architecture,  appear  as  if  imitating  either  stone 
or  brick.    Wood,  of  itself,  is  light.    One  cannot  build 


RURAX,  ARCHITECTURE . 


45 


a  heavy  house  of  wood,  as  compared  with  brick  or 
stone.  Therefore  all  imitation  or  device  which  may 
lead  to  a  belief  that  it  may  be  other  than  what  it  really 
is,  is  nothing  less  than  a  fraud — not  criminal,  we  admit, 
but  none  the  less  a  fraud  upon  good  taste  and  archi- 
tectural truth. 

It  is  true  that  in  this  country  we  cannot  afford  to 
place  in  stone  and  brick  buildings  those  ornate  trim- 
mings and  appendages  which,  perhaps,  if  economy 
were  not  to  be  consulted,  might  be  more  durably  con- 
structed of  stone,  but  at  an  expense  too  great  to  be 
borne  by  those  of  moderate  means.  Yet  it  is  not 
essential  that  such  appendages  should  be  of  so  expen- 
sive material.  The  very  purposes  to  which  they  are 
applied,  as  a  parapet,  a  railing,  a  balustrade,  a  portico, 
piazza,  or  porch;  all  these  may  be  of  wood,  even  when 
the  material  of  the  house  proper  is  of  the  most  durable 
kind ;  and  by  being  painted  in  keeping  with  the  build- 
ing itself,  produce  a  fine  effect,  and  do  no  violence  to 
good  taste  or  the  most  fastidious  propriety.  They  may 
be  even  sanded  to  a  color,  and  grained,  stained,  or 
otherwise  brought  to  an  identity,  almost,  with  the 
material  of  the  house,  and  be  quite  proper,  because 
they  simply  are  appendages  of  convenience,  necessity, 
or  luxury,  to  the  building  itself,  and  may  be  taken 
away  without  injuring  or  without  defacing  the  main 
structure.  They  are  not  a  material  part  of  the  build- 
ing itself,  but  reared  for  purposes  which  may  be  dis- 
pensed with.  It  is  a  matter  of  taste  or  preference,  that 
they  were  either  built  there,  or  that  they  remain  per- 
manently afterward,  and  of  consequence,  proper  that 
3 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


they  be  of  wood.  Yet  they  should  not  imitate  stoi^e  or 
brick.  They  should  still  show  that  they  are  of  wood, 
but  in  color  and  outside  preservation  denote  that  they 
are  appendages  to  a  stone  or  hrick  house,  by  complying 
with  the  proper  shades  in  color  which  predominate  in 
the  building  itself,  and  become  their  own  subordinate 
character. 

Not  being  a  professional  painter,  or  compounder  of 
colors,  we  shall  offer  no  receipts  or  specifics  for  paint- 
ing or  washing  buildings.  Climate  affects  the  compo- 
sition of  both  paints  and  washes,  and  those  who  are 
competent  in  this  line,  are  the  proper  persons  to  dictate 
their  various  compositions;  and  we  do  but  common 
justice  to  the  skill  and  intelligence  of  our  numerous 
mechanics,  when  we  recommend  to  those  who  contem- 
plate building,  to  apply  forthwith  to  such  as  are  masters 
of  their  trade  for  all  the  information  they  require  on 
the  various  subjects  connected  with  it.  One  who  sets 
out  to  be  his  own  architect,  builder,  and  painter,  is 
akin  to  the  lawyer  in  the  proverb,  who  has  a  fool  for 
his  client,  when  pleading  his  own  case,  and  quite  as 
apt  to  have  quack  in  them  all.  Hints,  general  out- 
lines, and  oftentimes  matters  of  detail  in  interior  con 
venience,  and  many  other  minor  affairs  may  be  given 
by  the  proprietor,  when  he  is  neither  a  professional 
architect,  mechanic,  or  even  an  amateur;  but  in  all 
things  affecting  the  substantial  and  important  parts  of 
his  buildings,  he  should  consult  those  who  are  proficient 
and  experienced  in  the  department  on  which  he  con- 
sults them.  And  it  may  perhaps  be  added  that  none 
jprofessmg  to  be  such,  are  competent,  unless  well 


RITUAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


47 


instructed,  and  whose  labors  have  met  the  approbation 
of  those  competent  to  judge. 

There  is  one  kind  of  color,  prevailing  to  a  great 
extent  in  many  parts  of  our  country,  particularly  the 
northern  and  eastern,which,  in  its  effect  upon  any  one 
having  an  eye  to  a  fitness  of  things  in  country  build- 
ings, is  a  monstrous  perversion  of  good  taste.  That  is 
the  glaring  red,  made  up  of  Venetian  red,  ochre,  or 
Spanish  brown,  with  doors  and  windows  touched  off 
with  white.  The  only  apology  we  have  ever  heard 
given  for  such  a  barbarism  was,  that  it  is  a  good, 
strong,  and  lasting  color.  We  shall  not  go  into  an 
examination  as  to  that  fact,  but  simply  answer,  that  if 
it  be  so,  there  are  other  colors,  not  more  expensive, 
which  are  equally  strong  and  durable,  and  infinitely 
more  tasteful  and  fitting.  There  can  be  nothing  less 
comporting  with  the  simplicity  of  rural  scenery,  than  a 
glaring  red  color  on  a  building.  It  connects  with 
nothing  natural  about  it;  it  neither  fades  into  any 
surrounding  shade  of  soil  or  vegetation,  and  must  of 
necessity,  stand  out  in  its  own  bold  and  unshrouded 
impudence,  a  perfect  Ishmaelite  in  color,  and  a  perver- 
sion of  every  thing  harmonious  in  the  design.  We 
eschew  red,  therefore,  from  every  thing  in  rural  asv 
chitecture. 


48 


ttUBAL  A  KC  HITJlCT  U 


A  SHOET  OHAPTEE  ON  TASTE. 


The  compound  words,  or  terms  good-taste  and  had* 
taste  have  been  used  in  the  preceding  pages  without, 
perhaps,  sufficiently  explaining  what  is  meant  by  the 
.word  taste,  other  than  as  giving  vague  and  unsatisfac- 
tory terms  to  the  reader  in  measuring  the  subject  in 
hand.  Taste  is  a  term  universally  applied  in  criticism 
of  the  fine-arts,  such  as  painting,  sculpture,  architec- 
tuie,  &c,  &c,  of  which  there  are  many  schools  —  of 
taste,  we  mean  —  some  of  them,  perhaps  natural,  but 
chiefly  conventional,  and  all  more  or  less  arbitrary. 
The  proverb,  "  there  is  no  accounting  for  taste,"  is  as 
old  as  the  aforesaid  schools  themselves,  and  defines 
perfectly  our  own  estimate  of  the  common  usage  of 
the  term. 

As  we  have  intended  to  use  it,  Webster  defines  the 
word  taste  to  be  ""the  faculty  of  discerning  beauty, 
order,  congruity,  proportion,  symmetry,  or  whatever 
constitutes  excellence;  style;  manner  with  respect  to 
what  is  pleasing."  With  this  understanding,  therefore; 
a  fitness  to  the  purpose  for  which  a  thing  is  intended — - 
got  up  in.  a  manner  agreeable  to  the  eye  and  the  mind  — 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


49 


preserving  also  a  harmony  between  its  various  parts 
and  rises;  pleasing  to  the  eye,  as  addressed  to  the 
sense,  and  satisfactory  to  the  mind,  as  appropriate  to 
the  object  for  which  it  is  required;  —  these  constitute 
good-taste,  as  the  term  is  here  understood. 

The  term  style,  also,  is  "the  manner  or  form  of  a 
thing."  When  we  say,  u  that  is  a  stylish  house,"  it 
should  mean  that  it  is  in,  or  approaches  some  partic- 
ular style  of  building  recognized  by  the  schools.  It 
may  or  may  not  be  in  accordance  with  good  taste,  and 
is,  consequently,  subject  to  the  same  capricious  test  in 
its  government.  Yet  styles  are  subject  to  arrangement, 
and  are  classified  in  the  several  schools  of  architecture, 
either  as  distinct  specimens  of  acknowledged  orders, 
as  the  Doric,  the  Ionic,  the  Corinthian,  in  Grecian 
architecture,  or,  the  Tuscan  and  Composite,  wThich  are, 
more  distinctly,  styles  of  Roman  architecture.  To 
these  may  be  added  the  Egyptian,  the  most  massive 
of  all;  and  either  of  them,  in  their  proper  character, 
grand  and  imposing  when  applied  to  public  buildings 
or  extensive  structures,  but  altogether  inapplicable, 
from  their  want  of  lightness  and  convenience,  to  coun- 
try or  even  city  dwellings.  Other  styles  —  not  exactly 
orders  —  of  architecture,  such  as  the  Italian,  the  Ro- 
manesque, the  Gothic,  the  Swiss,  with  their  modifica- 
tions—  all  of  wThich  admit  of  a  variety  of  departures 
from  fixed  rules,  not  allowed  in  the  more  rigid  orders  — 
may  be  adapted  in  a  variety  of  ways,  to  the  most 
agreeable  and  harmonious  arrangement  in  architectu- 
ral effect,  for  dwellings  and  structures  appurtenant 
to  them. 


50 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


The  Italian  style  of  architecture,  modified  somewhat 
in  pretension  and  extent,  is  admirably  adapted  to  most 
parts  of  the  United  States.  Its  general  lightness,  open- 
ness, and  freedom  gives  a  wide  range  of  choice ;  and 
its  wings,  verandas,  and  terraces,  stretching  off  in  any 
and  almost  every  direction  desired,  from  the  main 
building,  make  it  exceedingly  appropriate  for  general 
use.  The  modern,  or  rural  Gothic,  branching  off  some- 
times into  what  is  termed  the  English  cottage  style, 
and  in  many  instances  blending  so  intimately  with  the 
Italian,  as  hardly  to  mark  the  line  of  division,  is  also  a 
beautiful  arrangement  of  building  for  country  dwel- 
lings. These,  in  ruder  structures,  may  also  be  carried 
into  the  Rustic  —  not  a  style  proper,  in  itself — but  so 
termed  as  approximating  in  execution  or  pretension  to 
either  of  the  above ;  while  the  Swiss,  with  its  hanging 
roofs,  and  sheltering  eaves  may  be  frequently  brought 
in  aid  to  show  out  the  rustic  form  in  more  complete- 
ness, and  in  greater  harmony  with  surrounding  objects, 
than  either  of  the  others. 

For  farm  houses,  either  of  these  arrangements  or 
departures  from  a  set  and  positive  style,  are  better  fit- 
ted than  any  which  we  have  noticed ;  and  in  some  one 
or  other  of  the  modifications  named,  we  have  applied 
them  in  the  examples  submitted  in  this  work.  They 
may  not  therefore  be  viewed  as  distinct  delineations 
of  an  order  of  architecture,  or  style  proper,  even ;  but 
as  a  mode  appropriate  to  the  object  required.  And  so 
long  as  they  do  not  absolutely  conflict  wdth  true  taste, 
or  in  their  construction  commit  a  barbarism  upon  any 
acknowledged  system  of  architecture,  in  any  of  its 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


51 


modifications,  we  hazard  no  impropriety  in  introducing 
them  for  the  imitation  of  country  builders.  Congruity 
with  the  objects  to  which  it  is  applied  should  be  the 
chief  merit  of  any  structure  whatever ;  and  so  long  as 
that  object  be  attained,  good  taste  is  not  violated,  and 
utility  is  fully  subserved. 

Intimately  connected  with  this  subject,  in  rural  build 
ings,  is  the  sho/pe  of  the  structure.  Many  of  the 
designs  recently  introduced  for  the  imitation  of  build- 
ers, are  full  of  angles  and  all  sorts  of  zig-zag  lines, 
which,  although  they  may  add  to  the  variety  of  style, 
or  relieve  the  monotony  of  straight  and  continuous 
lines,  are  carried  to  a  needless  excess,  expensive  in 
their  construction,  and  entail  infinite  trouble  upon  the 
owner  or  occupant,  in  the  repairs  they  subject  him  to, 
in  the  leakages  continually  occurring,  against  which 
last,  either  of  wind  or  rain,  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
guard.  And  what,  let  us  ask,  are  the  benefits  of  a 
parcel  of  needless  gables  and  peaked  windows,  running 
up  like  owl's  ears,  above  the  eaves  of  a  house,  except 
to  create  expense,  and  invite  leakage  and  decay  ?  If 
in  appearance,  they  provoke  an  association  of  that 
kind,  they  certainly  are  not  in  good  taste;  and  a  foot 
or  two  of  increased  height  in  a  wall,  or  a  low  window 
sufficient  for  the  purpose  intended,  would  give  a  tone 
of  dignity,  of  comfort,  and  real  utility,  which  a  whole 
covey  of  such  pretentious  things  could  not.  All  such 
trumpery  should  be  scouted  from  the  dwelling  house 
of  the  farmer,  and  left  to  tha  special  indulgence  of  the 
town  builder. 

A  square  form  of  house  will  afford  more  area  within 


52 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


a  given  line  of  wall  than  any  other  sensible  form  which 
may  be  adopted.  Yet  a  square  house  is  not  so  agree- 
able to  the  eye  as  an  oblong.  Thus,  a  house  should 
stand  somewhat  broader  on  one  front  than  on  another. 
It  should  also  be  relieved  from  an  appearance  of  mon- 
otony and  tameness,  by  one  or  more  wings ;  and  such 
wings  should,  at  their  junction  with  the  main  building, 
retreat  or  advance  a  sufficient  distance  from  a  contin- 
uous line,  as  to  relieve  it  effectually  from  an  appearance 
of  stiffness,  and  show  a  different  character  of  occupa- 
tion from  that  of  the  main  structure.  The  front  of  a 
house  should  be  the  most  imposing  and  finished  in  its 
architecture  of  any  one  of  its  parts ;  and  unless  some 
motive  of  greater  convenience  control  otherwise,  its 
entrance  the  most  highly  wrought,  as  indicating  the 
luxury  of  the  establishment  —  for  even  the  humblest 
habitations  have  their  luxuries.  The  side  rooms,  or 
more  usually  occupied  apartments,  require  less  pre- 
tension in  both  architectural  effect  and  finish,  and 
should  wear  a  more  subdued  appearance;  while  the 
kitchen  section,  and  from  that,  the  several  grades  of 
apartments  stretching  beyond  it,  should  distinctly  show 
that  they  are  subservient  in  their  character,  and  wear 
a  style  and  finish  accordingly.  Thus,  each  part  of  the 
house  speaks  for  itself.  It  is  its  own  finger-board, 
pointing  the  stranger  to  its  various  accommodation }  as 
plainly  as  if  written  on  its  walls,  and  saying  as  signifi- 
cantly as  dumb  walls  can  do,  that  here  dwells  a  well 
regulated  family,  who  have  a  parlor  for  their  friends ; 
a  library,  or  sitting-room  for  their  own  leisure  and  com- 
fort; an  ample  bedroom  and  nursery,  for  the  parents 

m 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


and  the  little  ones;  a  kitchen  for  the  cooking;  and 
a  scullery  and  closets,  and  all  the  other  etceteras  which 
belong  to  a  perfect  family  homestead. 

And  so  with  the  grounds.  The  lawn  or  "  dooryard," 
should  be  the  best  kept  ground  on  the  place.  The 
most  conspicuous  part  of  the  garden  should  show  its 
shrubbery  and  its  flowers.  The  side  or  rear  approach 
should  be  separated  from  the  lawn,  and  show  its  con- 
stant business  occupation,  and  openly  lead  off  to  where 
men  and  farm  stock  meet  on  common  ground,  devoted 
to  every  purpose  which  the  farm  requires.  Such 
arrangement  would  be  complete  in  all  its  parts,  satis- 
factory, and  lasting.  Tinsel  ornament,  or  gewgaw 
decoration  should  never  be  permitted  on  any  building 
where  the  sober  enjoyment  of  agricultural  life  is  de- 
signed. It  can  never  add  consideration  or  dignity  to 
the  retired  gentleman  even,  and  least  of  all  should  it 
be  indulged  in  by  the  farmer,  dwelling  on  his  own 

cultivated  acres. 
3* 


54 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


THE  CONSTEUCTION  OF  CELLAKS. 


Every  farm  house  and  farm  cottage,  where  a  family 
of  any  size  occupy  the  latter,  should  have  a  good, 
substantial  stone-walled  cellar  beneath  it.  No  room 
attached  to  the  farm  house  is  more  profitable,  in  its 
occupation,  than  the  cellar.  It  is  useful  for  storing 
numberless  articles  which  are  necessary  to  be  kept 
warm  and  dry  in  winter,  as  well  as  cool  in  summer,  of 
which  the  farmer  is  well  aware.  The  walls  of  a  cellar 
should  rise  at  least  one,  to  two,  or  even  three  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  ground  surrounding  it,  according 
to  circumstances,  and  the  rooms  in  it  well  ventilated 
by  two  or  more  sliding  sash  windows  in  each,  accord- 
ing to  size,  position,  and  the  particular  kind  of  storage 
for  which  it  is  required,  so  that  a  draft  of  pure  air  can 
pass  through,  and  give  it  thorough  ventilation  at  all 
times.  It  should  also  be  at  least  seven  and  a  half  feet 
high  in  the  clear ;  and  if  it  be  even  nine  feet,  that  is 
not  too  much.  If  the  soil  be  compact,  or  such  as  will 
hold  water,  it  should  be  thoroughly  drained  from  the 
lowest  point  or  corner,  and  the  drain  always  kept  open ; 
(a  stone  drain  is  the  best  and  most  durable,)  and  if 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


55 


floored  with  a  coat  of  flat,  or  rubble  stones,  wJl  set  in 
good  hydraulic  cement  —  or  cement  alone,  when  the 
stone  cannot  be  obtained  —  all  the  better.  This  last 
will  make  it  rat  proof.  For  the  purpose  of  avoiding 
these  destructive  creatures,  the  foundation  stones  in 
the  wall  should  be  brought  to  a  joint,  and  project  at 
least  six  inches  on  each  side,  from  the  wall  itself,  when 
laid  upon  this  bottom  course;  as  the  usual  manner  of 
rats  is  to  burrow  in  a  nearly  perpendicular  direction 
from  the  surface,  by  the  side  of  the  wall,  wThen  intend- 
ing to  undermine  it.  On  arriving  at  the  bottom,  if 
circumvented  by  the  projecting  stones,  they  will  usu- 
ally abandon  their  work.  Plank  of  hard  wood,  or  hard 
burnt  bricks,  may  answer  this  purpose  when  stone 
cannot  be  had. 

All  cellar  walls  should  be  laid  in  good  lime  mortar, 
or  if  that  be  not  practicable,  they  should  be  well 
pointed  with  it.  This  keeps  them  in  place,  and  ren- 
ders them  less  liable  to  the  ingress  of  water  and  vermin. 
The  thickness  of  wall  should  not  be  less  than  fifteen  to 
eighteen  inches,  in  any  event,  when  of  stone ;  and  if 
the  house  walls  above  be  built  of  stone  or  brick,  two 
feet  is  better;  and  in  all  cases  the  cellar  wall  should  be 
full  three  inches  thicker  than  the  wall  resting  upon  it. 

In  the  cellar  of  every  farm  house  there  should  be 
an  outside  door,  with  a  flight  of  steps  by  which  to  pass 
roots  and  other  bulky  or  heavy  articles,  to  which  a 
wagon  or  cart  may  approach,  either  to  receive  or  dis- 
charge them.    This  is  indispensable. 

Every  out-building  upon  the  farm,  let  it  be  devoted 
to  what  purpose  it  may,  having  a  wooden  floor  on  the 


5j6 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


ground  story,  should  be  set  up  sufficiently  high  from 
the  surface  to  admit  a  cat  or  small  terrier  dog  beneath 
such  floor,  with  openings  for  them  to  pass  in  and  out, 
or  these  hiding  places  will  become  so  many  rat  war- 
rens upon  the  premises,  and  prove  most  destructive  to 
the  grain  and  poultry.  Nothing  can  be  more  annoy- 
ing to  the  farmer  than  these  vermin,  and  a  trifling 
outlay  in  the  beginning,  will  exclude  them  from  the 
foundations  and  walls  of  all  buildings.  Care,  there- 
fore, should  be  taken  to  leave  no  haunt  for  their 
convenience. 

With  these  suggestions  the  ingenuity  of  every  builder 
will  provide  sufficient  guards  against  the  protection  of 
vermin  beneath  his  buildings. 


VENTILATION  OF  HOUSES. 

Pure  air,  and  enough  of  it,  is  the  cheapest  blessing 
one  can  enjoy;  and  to  deny  one's  self  so  indispensable 
an  element  of  good  health,  is  little  short  of  criminal 
neglect,  or  the  sheerest  folly.  Yet  thousands  who  build 
at  much  needless  expense,  for  the  protection  of  their 
health  and  that  of  their  families,  as  they  allege,  and 
no  doubt  suppose,  by  neglecting  the  simplest  of  all 
contrivances,  in  the  v/ork  of  ventilation,  invite  disease 
and  infirmity,  from  the  very  pains  they  so  unwittingly 
take  to  ward  off  such  afflictions, 

> 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


57 


A  man,  be  he -farmer  or  of  other  profession,  finding 
himself  prosperous  in  life,  sets  about  the  very  sensible 
business  of  building  a  house  for  his  own  accommoda- 
tion. Looking  back,  perhaps,  to  the  days  of  his  boy- 
hood, in  a  severe  climate,  he  remembers  the  not  very 
highly-finished  tenement  of  his  father,  and  the  wide, 
open  fireplace  which,  with  its  well  piled  logs,  wTas 
scarcely  able  to  warm  the  large  living-room,  where  the 
family  were  wont  to  huddle  in  winter.  He  possibly 
remembers,  with  shivering  sympathy,  the  sprinkling 
of  snow  which  he  was  accustomed  to  find  upon  his  bed 
as  he  awaked  in  the  morning,  that  had  found  its  way 
through  the  frail  casing  of  his  chamber  window  —  but 
in  the  midst  of  all  which  he  grew  up  with  a  vigorous 
constitution,  a  strong  arm,  and  a  determined  spirit. 
He  is  resolved  that  Ms  children  shall  encounter  no 
such  hardships,  and  that  himself  and  his  excellent 
helpmate  shall  suffer  no  such  inconvenience  as  his 
own  parents  had  done,  who  now  perhaps,  are  enjoying 
a  strong  and  serene  old  age,  in  their  old-fashioned,  yet 
to  them  not  uncomfortable  tenement.  Pie  therefore 
determines  to  have  a  snug,  close  house,  where  the  cold 
cannot  penetrate.  He  employs  all  his  ingenuity  to 
make  every  joint  an  air-tight  fit;  the  doors  must  swing 
to  an  air-tight  joint;  the  windows  set  into  air-tight 
frames ;  and  to  perfect  the  catalogue  of  his  comforts, 
an  air-tight  stove  is  introduced  into  every  occupied 
room  which,  perchance,  if  he  can  afford  it,  are  further 
warmed  and  poisoned  by  the  heated  flues  of  an  air- 
tight furnace  in  his  air-tight  cellar.  In  short,  it  is  an 
air-tight  concern  throughout.    His  family  breathe  an 


58 


KUEAXi  ARCHITECTURE. 


air-tight  atmosphere ;  they  eat  their  food  cooked  in  an 
"  air-tight  kitchen  witch,"  of  the  latest  "  premium  pat- 
tern ; "  and  thus  they  start,  father,  mother,  children, 
all  on  the  high  road  —  if  persisted  in  —  to  a  galloping 
consumption,  which  sooner  or  later  conducts  them  to 
an  air-tight  dwelling,  not  soon  to  be  changed.  If  such 
melancholy  catastrophe  be  avoided,  colds,  catarrhs, 
headaches,  and  all  sorts  of  bodily  afflictions  shortly 
make  their  appearance,  and  they  wonder  what  is  the 
matter !  They  live  so  snug  !  their  house  is  so  warm ! 
they  sleep  so  comfortable !  how  can  it  be  ?  True,  in 
the  morning  the  air  of  their  sleeping- rooms  feels  close, 
but  then  if  a  window  is  opened  it  will  chill  the  rooms, 
and  that  will  give  them  colds.  What  can  be  the 
matter?  The  poor  creatures  never  dream  that  they 
have  been  breathing,  for  hour  after  hour,  decomposed 
air,  charged  with  poisonous  gases,  which  cannot  es- 
cape through  the  tight  walls,  or  over  the  tight  win- 
dows, or  through  the  tight  stoves;  and  thus  they  keep 
on  in  the  sure  course  to  infirmity,  disease,  and  pre- 
mature death  —  all  for  the  want  of  a  little  ventilation ! 
Better  indeed,  that  instead  of  all  this  painstaking,  a 
pane  were  knocked  out  of  every  window,  or  a  panel 
out  of  every  door  in  the  house. 

"We  are  not  disposed  to  talk  about  cellar  furnaces  for 
heating  a  farmer's  house.  They  have  little  to  do  in 
the  farmer's  inventory  of  goods  at  all,  unless  it  be  to 
give  warmth  to  the  hall  —  and  even  then  a  snug  box 
stove,  with  its  pipe  passing  into  the  nearest  chimney 
is,  in  most  cases,  the  better  appendage.  Fuel  is  usu 
ally  abundant  with  the  farmer;  and  where  so,  its 


KUKAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


59 


benefits  are  much  better  dispensed  in  open  stoves  or 
fireplaces,  than  in  heating  furnaces  or  "  air-tights." 

We  have  slightly  discussed  this  subject  of  firing  in 
the  farm  house,  in  a  previous  page,  but  while  in  the 
vein,  must  crave  another  word.  A  farmer's  house 
should  look  hospitable  as  well  as  he  hospitable,  both 
outside  and  in ;  and  the  broadest,  most  cheerful  look 
of  hospitality  within  doors,  in  cold  weather,  is  an  ope?i 
fire  in  the  chimney  fireplace,  with  the  blazing  wood 
upon  it.  There  is  no  mistake  about  it.  It  thaws  you 
out,  if  cold;  it  stirs  you  up,  if  drooping;  and  is  the 
welcome,  winning  introduction  to  the  good  cheer  that 
is  to  follow 

A  short  time  ago  we  went  to  pay  a  former  town 
friend  a  visit.  He  had  removed  out  to  a  snug  little 
farm,  where  he  could  indulge  his  agricultural  and  hor- 
ticultural tastes,  yet  still  attend  to  his  town  engage- 
ments, and  enjoy  the  quietude  of  the  country.  We 
rang  the  door  bell.  A  servant  admitted  us;  and 
leaving  overcoat  and  hat  in  the  hall,  we  entered  a  lone 
room,  with  an  "  air-tight "  stove,  looking  as  black  and 
solemn  as  a  Turkish  eunuch  upon  us,  and  giving  out 
about  the  same  decree  of  o-enial  warmth  as  the  said 
eunuch  would  have  expressed  had  he  been  there  —  an 
emasculated  warming  machine  truly !  On  the  floor 
was  a  Wilton  carpet,  too  fine  to  stand  on ;  around  the 
room  were  mahogany  sofas  and  mahogany  chairs,  all 
too  fine  to  sit  on  —  at  all  events  to  rest  one  upon  if  he 
were  fatigued.  The  blessed  light  of  day  was  shut  out 
by  crimson  and  white  curtains,  held  up  by  gilded 
arrows;  and  upon  the  mantle  piece,  and  on  the  center 


60 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


and  side  tables  were  all  sorts  of  gimcraeks,  costly  and 
worthless.  In  short,  there  was  no  comfort  about  the 
whole  concern.  Hearing  our  friend  coming  up  from 
his  dining-room  below,  where  too,  was  his  cellar  kitch- 
en—  that  most  abominable  of  all  appendages  to  a  farm 
house,  or  to  any  other  country  house,  for  that  matter  — 
we  buttoned  our  coat  up  close  and  high,  thrust  our 
hands  into  our  pockets,  and  walked  the  room,  as  he 
entered.  "Glad  to  see  you  —  glad  to  see  you,  my 
friend! "  said  he,  in  great  joy;  "but  dear  me,  why  so 
buttoned  up,  as  if  you  were  going  ?  What 's  the  mat- 
ter?" "My  good  sir,"  we  replied,  "you  asked  us  to 
come  over  and  see  you,  c  a  plain  farmer*  and  'take  a 
quiet  family  dinner  with  you.'  We  have  done  so; 
and  here  find  you  with  all  your  town  nonsense  about 
you.  No  fire  to  warm  by;  no  seat  to  rest  in;  no 
nothing  like  a  farm  or  farmer  about  you ;  and  it  only 
needs  your  charming  better  half,  whom  we  always  ad- 
mired, when  she  lived  in  town,  to  take  down  her 
enameled  harp,  and  play 

'  In  f&iry  bowers  by  moonlight  hours,' 

to  convince  one  that  instead  of  ruralizing  in  the  coun- 
try, you  had  gone  a  peg  higher  in  town  residence! 
]STo,  no,  we  '11  go  down  to  farmer  Jocelyn's,  our  old 
schoolfellow,  and  take  a  dinner  of  bacon  and  cabbage 
with  him.  If  he  does  occupy  a  one-story  house,  he 
lives  up  in  sunshine,  has  an  open  fireplace,  with  a 
blazing  wood  fire  on  a  chilly  day,  and  his  '  latch  string 
is  always  out.' " 

Our  friend  was  petrified  —  astonished!    We  meant 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


01 


to  go  it  rather  strong  upon  him,  but  still  kept  a  frank, 
good-humored  face,  that  showed  him  no  malice.  He 
began  to  think  he  was  not  exactly  in  character,  and 
essayed  to  explain.  We  listened  to  his  story.  His 
good  wife  came  in,  and  all  together,  we  had  a  long  talk 
of  their  family  and  farming  arrangements ;  how  they 
had  furnished  their  house ;  and  how  they  proposed  to 
live ;  but  wound  up  with  a  sad  story,  that  their  good 
farming  neighbors  did'nt  call  on  them  the  second 
time  —  kind,  civil  people  they  appeared,  too  —  and 
while  they  were  in,  acted  as  though  afraid  to  sit  down, 
and  afraid  to  stand  up ;  —  in  short,  they  were  dreadfully 
embarrassed;  for  why,  our  friends  could  n't  tell,  but 
now  began  to  understand  it.  "Well,  my  good  friends," 
said  we,  "  you  have  altogether  mistaken  country  life  in 
the  outset.  To  live  on  a  farm,  it  is  neither  necessary 
to  be  vulgar,  nor  clownish,  nor  to  affect  ignorance. 
Simplicity  is  all  you  require,  in  manners,  and  equal 
simplicity  in  your  furniture  and  appointments.  Now 
just  turn  all  this  nonsense  in  furniture  and  room 
dressing  out  of  doors,  and  let  some  of  your  town 
friends  have  it.  Get  some  simple,  comfortable,  cottage 
furniture,  much  better  for  all  purposes,  than  this,  and 
you  will  settle  down  into  quiet,  natural  country  life 
before  you  are  aware  of  it,  and  all  will  go  c  merry  as  a 
marriage  bell 5  with  you,  in  a  little  time  " — for  they  both 
loved  the  country,  and  were  truly  excellent  people. 
We  continued,  "I  came  to  spend  the  day  and  the 
night,  and  I  will  stay;  and  this  evening  we'll  go  down 

to  your  neighbor  Jocelyn's;  and  you,  Mrs.  N  , 

shall  go  with  us;  and  we  will  see  how  quietly  and 


62 


.RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


comfortably  he  and  his  family  take  the  world  *n  a 
farmer's  way." 

We  did  go ;  not  in  carriage  and  livery,  but  walked 
the  pleasant  half  mile  that  lay  between  them;  the 
exercise  of  which  gave  us  all  activity  and  good  spirits. 
Jocelyn  was  right  glad  to  see  us,  and  Patty,  his  staid 
and  sober  wife,  with  whom  we  had  romped  many  an 
innocent  hour  in  our  childhood  days,  was  quite  as  glad 
as  he.  But  they  looked  a  little  surprised  that  such 
"  great  folks  "  as  their  new  neighbors,  should  drop  in 
so  unceremoniously,  and  into  their  common  "  keeping 
room,"  too,  to  chat  away  an  evening.  However,  the 
embarrassment  soon  wore  off.  We  talked  of  farming; 
we  talked  of  the  late  elections ;  we  talked  of  the  fruit 
trees  and  the  strawberry  beds;  and  Mrs.  Jocelyn,  who 

was  a  pattern  of  good  housekeeping,  told  Mrs.  N  

how  she  made  her  apple  jellies,  and  her  currant  tarts, 
and  cream  cheeses ;  and  before  we  left  they  had  ex- 
changed ever  so  many  engagements, —  Mrs.  Patty  to 
learn  her  new  friend  to  do  half  a  dozen  nice  little  mat- 
ters of  household  pickling  and  preserving;  while  she, 
in  turn,  was  to  teach  iNancy  and  Fanny,  Patty's  two 
rosy-cheeked  daughters,  almost  as  pretty  as  their  moth- 
er was  at  their  own  age,  to  knit  a  bead  bag  and  work 
a  fancy  chair  seat!  And  then  we  had  apples  and  nuts, 
all  of  the  very  best  —  for  Jocelyn  was  a  rare  hand  at 
grafting  and  managing  his  fruit  trees,  and  knew  the 
best  apples  all  over  the  country.  We  had,  indeed,  a 
capital  time !  To  cut  the  story  short,  the  next  spring 
our  friend  sent  his  fancy  furniture  to  auction,  and 
provided  his  house  with  simple  cottage  furnishings,  at 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


63 


less  than  half  the  cost  of  the  other ;  which  both  he  and 
his  wife  afterward  declared  was  infinitely  better,  for  all 
house-keeping  purposes.  He  also  threw  a  neat  wing 
on  to  the  cottage,  for  an  upper  kitchen  and  its  offices, 
and  they  now  live  like  sensible  country  folks ;  and  with 
their  healthy,  frolicksome  children,  are  worth  the  envj 
of  all  the  dyspeptic,  town-fed  people  in  existence. 

A  long  digression,  truly;  but  so  true  a  story,  and 
one  so  apt  to  our  subject  can  not  well  be  omitted. 
But  what  has  all  this  to  do  with  ventilation?  We'll 
tell  you.  Jocelyn's  house  was  ventilated  as  it  should 
be;  —  for  he  was  a  methodical,  thoughtful  man,  who 
planned  and  built  his  house  himself — not  the  mechan- 
ical work,  but  directed  it  throughout,  and  saw  that 
it  was  faithfully  clone;  and  that  put  us  in  mind  of 
the  story. 

To  be  perfect  in  its  ventilation,  every  room  in  the 
house,  even  to  the  closets,  should  be  so  arranged  that  a 
current  of  air  may  pass  through,  to  keep  it  pure  and 
dry.  In  living  rooms,  fresh  air  in  sufficient  quantity 
may  usually  be  admitted  through  the  doors.  In  sleep- 
ing rooms  and  closets,  when  doors  may  not  be  left 
open,  one  or  more  of  the  lower  panels  of  the  door  may 
be  filled  by  a  rolling  blind,  opening  more  or  less,  at 
pleasure ;  or  a  square  or  oblong  opening  for  that  pur- 
pose, may  be  left  in  the  base  board,  at  the  floor,  and 
covered  by  a  wrire  netting.  And  in  all  rooms,  living 
apartments,  as  well  as  these,  an  opening  of  at  least 
sixty-four  square  inches  should  be  made  in  the  wall, 
near  the  ceiling,  and  leading  into  an  air  flue,  to  pass 
into  tfie  garret.    Such  opening  may  be  filled  by  a 


64 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


rolling  blind,  or  wire  screen,  as  below,  and  closed  or 
kept  open,  at  pleasure.  Some  builders  prefer  an  air 
register  to  be  placed  in  the  chimney,  over  the  fireplace 
or  stove,  near  the  ceiling ;  but  the  liability  to  annoy- 
ance, by  smoke  escaping  through  it  into  the  room,  if 
not  thoroughly  done,  is  an  objection  to  this  latter 
method,  and  the  other  may  be  made,  in  its  construc- 
tion, rather  ornamental  than  otherwise,  in  appearance. 
All  such  details  as  these  should  be  planned  when  the 
building  is  commenced,  so  that  the  several  flues  maybe 
provided  as  the  building  proceeds.  In  a  stone  or  brick 
house,  a  small  space  may  be  left  in  the  walls,  against 
which  these  air  registers  may  be  required;  and  for 
inner  rooms,  or  closets,  they  may  pass  off  into  the 
openings  of  the  partitions,  and  so  up  into  the  garret ; 
from  which  apertures  of  escape  may  be  left,  or  made 
at  the  gables,  under  the  roof,  or  by  a  blind  in  a  window. 

For  the  admission  of  air  to  the  first  floor  of  the 
house,  a  special  opening  through  the  walls,  for  that 
purpose,  can  hardly  be  necessary ;  as  the  doors  leading 
outside  are  usually  opened  often  enough  for  such  object. 
One  of  the  best  ventilated  houses  we  have  ever  seen,  is 
that  owned  and  occupied  by  Samuel  Cloon,  Esq.,  of 
Cincinnati.  It  is  situated  on  his  farm,  three  miles  out 
of  the  city,  and  in  its  fine  architectural  appearance  and 
finished  appointments,  as  a  rural  residence  and  first- 
class  farm  house,  is  not  often  excelled.  Every  closet  is 
ventilated  through  rolling  blinds  in  the  door  panels; 
and  foul  air,  either  admitted  or  created  within  them,  is 
passed  off  at  once  by  flues  near  the  ceiling  overhead, 
passing  into  conductors  leading  off  through  the  garret 


BUBAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


65 


Where  chambers  are  carried  into  the  roof  of  a  house, 
to  any  extent,  they  are  sometimes  incommoded  by  the 
summer  heat  which  penetrates  them,  conducted  by  the 
chamber  ceiling  overhead.  This  heat  can  best  be 
obviated  by  inserting  a  small  window  at  each  opposite 
peak  of  the  garret,  by  which  the  outside  air  can  circu- 
late through,  above  the  chambers,  and  so  pass  off  the 
heated  air,  which  will  continually  ascend.  All  this  is 
a  simple  matter,  for  which  any  builder  can .  provide, 
without  particular  expense  or  trouble. 


INTEKIOR  ACCOMMODATION  OF  HOUSES. 

Ground,  in  the  country,  being  the  cheapest  item 
which  the  farmer  can  devote  to  building  purposes,  his 
object  should  be  to  spread  over,  rather  than  to  go 
deeply  into  it,  or  climb  high  in  the  aii  above  it.  We 
repudiate  cellar  kitchens,  or  under-ground  rooms  for 
house  work,  altogether,  as  being  little  better  than  a 
nuisance  —  dark,  damp,  unhealthy,  inconvenient,  and 
expensive.  The  several  rooms  of  a  farm  dwelling 
house  should  be  compact  in  arrangement,  and  contig- 
uous as  maybe  to  the  principally -occupied  apartments. 
Such  arrangement  is  cheaper,  more  convenient,  and 
labor-saving ;  and  in  addition,  more  in  accordance  with 
a  good  and  correct  taste  in  the  outward  appearance  of 
the  house  itself. 


66 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


The  general  introduction  of  cooking  stoves,  and  othei 
stoves  and  apparatus  for  warming  houses,  within  the 
last  twenty  years,  which  we  acknowledge  to  be  a  great 
acquisition  in  comfort  as  well  as  in  convenience  and 
economy,  has  been  carried  to  an  extreme,  not  only  in 
shutting  up  and  shutting  out  the  time-honored  open 
fireplace  and  its  broad  hearthstone,  with  their  hal- 
lowed associations,  but  also  in  prejudice  to  the  health 
of  those  who  so  indiscriminately  use  them,  regardless 
of  other  arrangements  which  ought  to  go  with  them. 
A  farm  house  should  never  be  built  without  an  ample, 
open  fireplace  in  its  kitchen,  and  other  principally 
occupied  rooms;  and  in  all  rooms  where  stoves  are 
placed,  and  fires  are  daily  required,  the  open  Franklin 
should  take  place  of  the  close  or  air-tight  stove,  unless 
extraordinary  ventilation  to  such  rooms  be  adopted 
also.  The  great  charm  of  the  farmer's  winter  evening 
is  the  open  fireside,  with  its  cheerful  blaze  and  glow- 
ing embers ;  not  wastefully  expended,  but  giving  out 
that  genial  warmth  and  comfort  which,  to  those  who 
are  accustomed  to  its  enjoyment,  is  a  pleasure  not 
made  up  by  any  invention  whatever ;  and  although  the 
cooking  stove  or  range  be  required  —  which,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  fireplace,  we  would  always  recommend,  to 
lighten  female  labor  — ■  it  can  be  so  arranged  as  not  to 
interfere  with  the  enjoyment  or  convenience  of  the 
open  fire. 

In  the  construction  of  the  chimneys  which  appear 
in  the  plans  submitted,  the  great  majority  of  them  — 
particularly  those  for  northern  latitudes  —  are  placed 
in  the  interior  of  the  house.    They  are  less  liable  to 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


67 


communicate  lire  to  the  building,  and  assist  greatly  in 
warming  tne  rooms  through  which  they  pass.  In 
southern  houses  they  are  not  so  necessary,  fires  being 
required  for  a  much  less  period  of  the  year.  Tet  even 
there  they  may  be  oftentimes  properly  so  placed. 
Where  holes,  for  the  passage  of  stovepipes  through 
floors,  partitions,  or  into  chimneys,  are  made,  stone, 
earthen,  or  iron  thimbles  should  be  inserted ;  and,  except 
in  the  chimneys,  such  holes  should  be  at  least  one  to 
two  inches  larger  than  the  pipe  itself.  The  main  flues 
of  the  chimney  conducting  off*  the  smoke  of  the  differ- 
ent fires,  should  be  built  separate,  and  kept  apart  by  a 
partition  of  one  brick  in  thickness,  and  carried  out 
independently,  as  in  no  other  way  will  they  rid  the 
house  of  smoky  rooms. 

An  illustration  in  point:  Fifteen  years  ago  we 
purchased  and  removed  into  a  most  substantial  and 
well-built  stone  house,  the  chimneys  of  which  were 
constructed  with  open  fireplaces,  and  the  flues  carried 
up  separately  to  the  top,  where  they  all  met  upon  the 
same  level  surface,  as  chimneys  in  past  times  usually 
were  built,  thus.  Every  fireplace  in 
the  house  (and  some  of  them  had 
stoves  in,)  smoked  intolerably;  so 
much  so  that  when  the  wind  was  in 
some  quarters  the  fires  had  to  be 
.  put  out  in  every  room  but  the  kitch- 
en, which,  as  good  luck  would  have  it,  smoked  less  — 
although  it  did  smoke  there  —  than  the  others.  After 
balancing  the  matter  in  our  own  mind  some  time, 
whether  we  should  pull  down  and  rebuild  the  chimneys 


68 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


altogether,  or  attempt  an  alteration ;  as  we  had  given 
but  little  thought  to  the  subject  of  chimney  draft,  and 
to  try  an  experiment  was  the  cheapest,  we  set  to  work 
a  bricklayer,  who,  under  our  direction,  simply  built 
over  each  discharge  of  the  several  flues  a  separate  top 


of  fifteen  inches  high,  in  this  wise: 
The  remedy  was  perfect.  We  have 
/  had  no  smoke  in  the  house  since, 


S  /       blow  the  wind  as  it  may,  on  any  and 
/  all  occasions.    The  chimneys  can  H 

/  smoke;  and  the  whole  expense  for 

four  chimneys,  with  their  twelve 
flues,  was  not  twenty  dollars!  The  remedy  was  in 
giving  each  outlet  a  distinct  current  of  air  all  around, 
a^d  on  every  side  of  it. 


CHIMNEY  TOPS. 

.Nothing  adds  more  to  the  outward  expression  of  a 
duelling,  than  the  style  of  its  chimneys.  We  have 
just  shown  that  independent  chimney  tops  pass  oft* 
their  smoke  more  perfectly,  than  when  only  partitioned 
inside  to  the  common  point  of  outlet.  Aside  from  the 
architectural  beauty  which  a  group  of  chimney  flues 
adds  to  the  building,  we  have  seen  that  they  are  really 
useful,  beyond  the  formal,  square-sided  piles  so  com- 
mon throughout  the  country.    They  denote  good  cheer 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


69 


social  firesides,  and  a  generous  hospitality  within — 
features  which  should  always  mark  the  country  dwell- 
ing ;  and  more  particularly  that  of  the  farmer. 

The  style  and  arrangement  of  these  chimney  groups 
may  be  various,  as  comporting  with  the  design  of  the 
house  itself;  and  any  good  architect  can  arrange  them 
as  fitted  to  such  design.  Our  illustrations  will  show 
them  of  different  kinds,  which  are  generally  cheap 
in  construction,  and  simple,  yet  expressive  in  their 
arrangement. 


PRELIMINARY  TO  OUE  DESIGNS. 

We  have  discussed  with  tolerable  fullness,  the  chief 
subjects  connected  with  farm  buildings  —  sufficiently 
so,  wTe  trust,  to  make  ourselves  understood  as  desiring 
to  combine  utility  with  commendable  ornament  in  all 
that  pertains  to  them.  The  object  has  been,  thus  far, 
to  give  hints,  rather  than  models,  in  description.  But 
as  the  point  to  which  we  have  endeavored  to  arrive 
will  be  but  imperfectly  understood  without  illustration, 
we  shall  submit  a  few  plans  of  houses  and  outbuildings, 
as  carrying  out  more  fully  our  ideas. 

We  are  quite  aware  that  different  forms  or  fashions 
of  detail  and  finish,  to  both  outside  and  inside  work, 
prevail  among  builders  in  different  sections  of  the 
United  States.  Some  of  these  fashions  are  the  result 
of  climate,  some  of  conventional  taste,  and  some  of 


70 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


education.  With  them  we  are  not  disposed  to  quarrel. 
In  many  cases  they  are  immaterial  to  the  main  objects 
of  the  work,  and  so  long  as  they  please  the  taste  01 
partialities  of  those  adopting  them,  are  of  little  conse- 
quence. There  are,  however,  certain  matters  of  prin- 
ciple,  both  in  general  construction  and  in  the  detail  of 
finish,  which  should  not  be  disregarded ;  and  these,  in 
the  designs  submitted,  and  in  the  explanations  which 
follow,  will  be  fully  discussed,  each  in  its  place.  The 
particular  form  or  style  of  work  we  have  not  directed, 
because,  as  before  remarked,  we  are  no  professional 
builder,  and  of  course  free  from  the  dogmas  which  are 
too  apt  to  be  inculcated  in  the  professional  schools  and 
workshops.  We  give  a  wide  berth,  and  a  free  tolera- 
tion in  all  such  matters,  and  are  not  disposed  to  raise  a 
hornet's  nest  about  our  ears  by  interfering  in  matters 
where  every  tyro  of  the  drafting  board  and  work-bench 
assumes  to  be,  and  probably  may  be,  our  superior.  All 
minor  subjects  we  are  free  to  leave  to  the  skill  and 
ingenuity  of  the  builder —  who,  fortunately  for  the  coun- 
try, is  found  in  almost  every  village  and  hamlet  of 
the  land. 

Modes  and  styles  of  finish,  both  inside  and  outside 
of  buildings,  change;  and  that  so  frequently,  that  what 
is  laid  down  as  the  reigning  fashion  to-day,  may  be 
superseded  by  another  fashion  of  to-morrow  —  imma- 
terial in  themselves,  only,  and  not  affecting  the  shape, 
arrangement,  and  accommodation  of  the  building  itself, 
which  in  these,  must  ever  maintain  their  relation  with 
the  use  for  which  it  is  intended.  The  northern  dwel- 
ling, with  its  dependencies  and  appointments,  requires 


RUK^lL  architecture. 


71 


a  more  compact,  snug,  and  connected  arrangement 
than  that  of  the  south ;  while  one  in  the  middle  states 
may  assume  a  style  of  arrangement  between  them  both, 
each  fitted  for  their  own  climate  and  country,  and  in 
equally  good  taste.  The  designs  we  are  about  to  sub- 
mit are  intended  to  be  such  as  may  be  modified  to  any 
section  of  the  country,  although  some  of  them  are 
made  for  extremes  of  north  and  south,  and  are  so  dis- 
tinguished. Another  object  we  have  had  in  view  is, 
to  give  to  every  farmer  and  country  dweller  of  mod- 
erate means  the  opportunity  of  possessing  a  cheap  work 
which  would  guide  him  in  the  general  objects  which 
he  wishes  to  accomplish  in  building,  that  he  may  have 
This  own  notions  on  the  subject,  and  not  be  subject  to 
the  caprice  and  government  of  such  as  profess  to 
exclusive  knowledge  in  all  that  appertains  to  such 
subjects,  and  in  which,  it  need  not  be  offensive  to  say, 
that  although  clever  in  their  way,  they  are  sometimes 
apt  to  be  mistaken. 

Therefore,  without  assuming  to  instruct  the  profess- 
ional builder,  our  plans  will  be  submitted,  not  without 
the  hope  that  he  even,  may  find  in  them  something 
worthy  of  consideration;  and  we  offer  them  to  the 
owner  and  future  occupant  of  the  buildings  themselves, 
as  models  which  he  may  adopt,  with  the  confidence 
that  they  will  answer  all  his  reasonable  purposes. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


Desigk  I. 

"W  e  here  present  a  farm  house  of  the  simjlest  and 
most  unpretending  kind,  suitable  for  a  farm  of  twenty, 
fifty,  or  an  hundred  acres.  Buildings  somewhat  in 
this  style  are  not  unfrequently  seen  in  the  New  Eng- 
land States,  and  in  New  York;  and  the  plan  is  in  fact 
suggested,  although  not  copied,  from  some  farm  houses 
which  we  have  known  there,  with  improvements  and 
additions  of  our  own. 

This  house  may  be  built  either  of  stone,  brick,  or 
wood.  The  style  is  rather  rustic  than  otherwise,  and 
intended  to  be  altogether  plain,  yet  agreeable  in  out- 
ward appearance,  and  of  quite  convenient  arrangement. 
The  body  of  this  house  is  40x30  feet  on  the  ground, 
and  1 2  feet  high,  to  the  plates  for  the  roof;  the  lower 
rooms  nine  feet  high;  the  roof  intended  for  a  pitch  of 
35° — -but,  by  an  error  in  the  drawing,  made  less  — 
thus  affording  very  tolerable  chamber  room  in  the  roof 
story.  The  L,  or  rear  projection,  containing  the  wash- 
room and  wood-house,  juts  out  two  feet  from  the  side  of 
the  house  to  which  it  is  attached,  with  posts  7  h  feet 
high  above  the  floor  of  the  main  house ;  the  pitch  of 
the  roof  being  the  same.  Beyond  this  is  a  building 
32x24  feet,  with  10  feet  posts,  partitioned  off  into  a 
swill-room,  piggery,  workshop,  and  wagon-house,  and 
a  like  roof  with  the  others.     A  light,  rustic  porch. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


75 


12x8  feet,  with  lattice  work,  is  placed  on  the  front 
of  the  house,  and  another  at  the  side  door,  over  which 
vines,  by  way  of  drapery,  may  run ;  thus  combining 
that  sheltered,  comfortable,  and  home-like  expression 
so  desirable  in  a  rural  dwelling.  The  chimney  is  car- 
ried out  in  three  separate  flues,  sufficiently  marked  by 
the  partitions  above  the  roof.  The  windows  are  hood- 
ed, or  sheltered,  to  protect  them  from  the  weather,  and 
fitted  with  simple  sliding  sashes  with  7x9  or  8x10 
glass.  Outer  blinds  may  be  added,  if  required;  but  it 
is  usually  better  to  have  these  inside,  as  they  are  no 
ornament  to  the  outside  of  the  building,  are  liable  to 
be  driven  back  and  forth  by  the  wind,  even  if  fasten- 
ings are  used,  and  in  any  event  are  little  better  than  a 
continual  annoyance. 

INTERIOR  ARRANGEMENT. 

The  front  door,  over  which  is  a  single  sash-light 
across,  opens  into  a  hall  or  entry  9x7  feet,  from  which 
a  door  opens  on  either  side  into  a  sitting-room  and 
parlor,  each  16x15  feet,  lighted  by  a  double,  plain 
window,  at  the  ends,  and  a  single  two-sash  window  in 
front.  Between  the  entrance  door  and  stove,  are  in 
each  room  a  small  pantry  or  closet  for  dishes,  or  other- 
wise, as  may  be  required.  The  chimney  stands  in  the 
center  of  the  house,  with  a  separate  flue  for  each  front 
room,  into  which  a  thimble  is  inserted  to  receive  the 
stovepipes  by  which  they  are  warmed ;  and  from  the 
inner  side  of  these  rooms  each  has  a  door  passing  to 
the  kitchen,  or  chief  living  room.    This  last  apartment 


I  


PIG  16X12. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


17 


CHAMBER  PLAN. 


is  22x15  feet,  with  a  broad  fireplace  containing  a 
crane,  hooks,  and  trammel,  if  required,  and  a  spacious 
family  oven  —  affording  those  homely  and  primitive 
comforts  still  so  dear  to  many  of  us  who  are  not  ready 
to  concede  that  all  the  virtues  of  the  present  day  are 
combined  in  a  "perfection"  cooking  stove,  and  a 
"patent"  heater;  although  there  is  a  chance  for  these 
last,  if  they  should  be  adopted  into  the  peaceful  atmos- 
phere of  this  kitchen. 

On  one  side  of  the  kitchen,  in  rear  of  the  stairs,  is 
a  bedroom,  9x8  feet,  with  a  window  in  one  corner. 
Adjoining  that,  is  a  buttery,  dairy-room,  or  closet,  9x6 
feet,  also  having  a  window.  At  the  inner  end  of  the 
stairway  is  the  cellar  passage ;  at  the  outer  end  is  the 
chamber  passage,  landing  above,  in  the  highest  part  of 
the  roof  story.  Opposite  the  chamber  stairs  is  a  door 
leading  to  the  wash-room.  Between  the  two  windows, 
on  the  rear  side  of  the  kitchen,  is  a  sink,  with  a  waste 
pipe  passing  out  through  the  wall.  At  the  further 
corner  a  door  opens  into  a  snug  bedroom  9x8  feet, 
lighted  by  a  window  in  rear;  and  adjoining  this  is  a 


'78 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


side  entry  leading  from  the  end  door,  9x6  feet  in  area; 
thus  making  every  room  in  the  house  accessible  at 
once  from  the  kitchen,  and  giving  the  greatest  possible 
convenience  in  both  living  and  house-work. 

The  roof  story  is  partitioned  into  convenient-sized 
bedrooms ;  the  ceiling  running  down  the  pitch  of  the 
roof  to  within  two  feet  of  the  floor,  unless  they  are  cut 
short  by  inner  partitions,  as  they  are  in  the  largest 
chamber,  to  give  closets.  The  open  area  in  the  cen- 
ter, at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  is  lighted  by  a  small 
gable  window  inserted  in  the  roof,  at  the  rear,  and 
serves  as  a  lumber  room ;  or,  if  necessary,  a  bed  may 
occupy  a  part  of  it. 

In  rear  of  the  main  dwelling  is  a  building  44x16 
feet,  occupied  as  a  wash-room  and  wood-house.  The 
wash-room  floor  is  let  down  eight  inches  below  the 
kitchen,  and  is  16x14  feet,  in  area,  lighted  by  a 
window  on  each  side,  with  a  chimney,  in  which  is  set 
a  boiler,  and  fireplace,  if  desired,  and  a  sink  in  the 
corner  adjoining.  This  room  is  7h  feet  in  height.  A 
door  passes  from  this  wash-room  into  the  wood-house, 
which  is  30x16  feet,  open  in  front,  with  a  water-closet 
in  the  further  corner. 

The  cellar  is  7i  feet  in  height — and.  is  the  whole 
size  of  the  house,  laid  with  good  stone  wall,  in  lime 
mortar,  with  a  flight  of  steps  leading  outside,  in  rear* 
of  the  kitchen,  and  two  or  more  sash-light  windows  at 
the  ends.  If  not  in  a  loose,  gravelly,  or  sandy  soil,  the 
cellar  should  be  kept  dry  by  a  drain  leading  out  on  to 
lower  ground. 

The  building  beyond,  and  adjoining  the  w cod  -house, 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


79 


contains  a  swill-house  16x12  feet,  with  a  window  in 
one  end;  a  chimney  and  boiler  in  one  corner,  with 
storage  for  swill  barrels,  grain,  meal,  potatoes,  &c, 
for  feeding  the  pigs,  which  are  in  the  adjoining  pen  of 
same  size,  with  feeding  trough,  place  for  sleeping,  &c., 
and  having  a  window  in  one  end  and  a  door  in  the 
rear,  leading  to  a  yard. 

Adjoining  these,  in  front,  is  a  workshop  and  tool- 
house,  16x10  feet,  with  a  window  at  the  end,  and  an 
entrance  door  near  the  wood  house.  In  this  is  a  join- 
er's work-bench,  a  chest  of  working  tools,  such  as  saw, 
hammer,  augers,  &c,  &c,  necessary  for  repairing  im- 
plements, doing  little  rough  jobs,  or  other  wood  work, 
&c,  which  every  farmer  ought  to  do  for  himself;  and 
also  storing  his  hoes,  axes,  shovels,  hammers,  and  other 
small  farm  implements.  In  this  room  he  will  find 
abundant  rainy-day  employment  in  repairing  his  uten- 
sils of  various  kinds,  making  his  beehives,  hencoops, 
&c,  &c,  Next  to  this  is  the  wagon-house,  16x14  feet, 
wTith  broad  doors  at  the  end,  and  harness  pegs  around 
the  walls. 

The  posts  of  this  building  are  10  feet  high ;  the  rooms 
eight  feet  high,  and  a  low  chamber  overhead  for  storing 
umber,  grain,  and  other  articles,  as  may  be  required. 
Altogether,  these  several  apartments  make  a  very  com- 
plete and  desirable  accommodation  to  a  man  with  the 
property  and  occupation  for  which  it  is  intended. 

On  one  side  and  adjoining  the  house,  should  be  the 
garden,  the  clothes-yard,  and  the  bee-house,  which  last 
should  always  stand  in  full  sight,  and  facing  the  most 
frequented  room  —  say  the  kitchen  —  that  they  c^n  be 


80 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


Been  daily  during  the  swarming  season,  as  those  per 
forming  household  duties  may  keep  them  in  view. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

In  regard  to  the  surroundings,  and  approach  to  this 
dwelling,  they  should  be  treated  under  the  suggestions 
already  given  on  these  subjects.  This  is  an  exceed- 
ingly snug  tenement,  and  everything  around  and  about 
it  should  be  of  the  same  character.  No  pretension  or 
frippery  whatever.  A  neat  garden,  usefully,  rather 
than  ornamentally  and  profusely  supplied;  a  moderate 
court-yard  in  front ;  free  access  to  the  end  door,  from 
the  main  every-day  approach  by  vehicles  —  not  on  the 
highway,  but  on  the  farm  road  or  lane  —  the  business 
entrance,  in  fact ;  which  should  also  lead  to  the  barns 
and  sheds  beyond,  not  far  distant.  Every  feature 
should  wear  a  most  domestic  look,  and  breathe  an  air 
of  repose  and  content.  Trees  should  be  near,  but  not 
so  near  as  to  cover  the  house.  A  few  shrubs  of  simple 
kind  —  some  standing  roses  —  a  few  climbing  ones ;  a 
syringa,  a  lilac,  a  snow  ball,  and  a  little  patch  or  two 
of  flowers  near  the  front  porch,  and  the  whole  express- 
ion is  given ;  just  as  one  would  wish  to  look  upon  as  a 
simple,  unpretending  habitation. 

It  is  not  here  proposed  to  give  working  plans,  or 
estimates,  to  a  nicety;  or  particular  directions  for 
building  any  design  even,  that  we  present.  The  mate- 
rial for  construction  best  suited  to  the  circumstances 
and  locality  of  the  proprietor  must  govern  all  those 
matters:  and  as  good  builders  are  in  most  cases  at 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


81 


iwici,  who  are  competent  to  give  estimates  for  the  cost 
of  any  given  plan,  when  the  material  for  construction 
is  once  settled,  the  question  of  expense  is  readily  fixed. 
The  same  sized  house,  with  the  same  accommodation, 
may  be  made  to  cost  fifty  to  one  hundred  per  cent, 
over  an  economical  estimate,  by  the  increased  style,  or 
maimer  of  its  finish ;  or  it  may  be  kept  within  bounds 
by  a  rigid  adherence  to  the  plan  first  adopted. 

In  western  New  York  this  house  and  attachments 
complete,  the  body  of  stone,  the  wood-house,  wagon- 
house,  &c,  of  wood,  may  be  built  and  well  finished  in 
a  plain  way  for  $1,500.  If  built  altogether  of  wood, 
with  grooved  and  matched  vertical  boarding,  and  bat- 
tens, the  whole  may  be  finished  and  painted  for  $800, 
to  $1,200.  For  the  lowest  sum,  the  lumber  and  work 
would  be  of  a  rough  kind,  with  a  cheap  wash  to  color 
it ;  but  the  latter  amount  would  give  good  work,  and  a 
lasting  coat  of  mineral  paint  both  outside  and  within. 

As  a  tenant  house  on  a  farm  of  three,  four,  or  even 
five  hundred  acres,  where  all  who  live  in  it  are  labor- 
ers in  the  field  or  household,  this  design  may  be  most 
conveniently  adopted.  The  family  inhabiting  it  in 
winter  may  be  well  accommodated  for  sleeping  under 
the  main  roof,  wrhile  they  can  at  all  seasons  take  their 
meals,  and  be  made  comfortable  in  the  several  rooms. 
In  the  summer  season,  when  a  larger  number  of 
laborers  are  employed,  the  lofts  of  the  carriage  oi 
wagon-house  and  work-shop  may  be  occupied  with  beds, 
and  thus  a  large  share  of  the  expense  of  house  build- 
ing for  a  very  considerable  farm  be  saved.  Luxury 
is  a  quality  more  or  less  consulted  by  every  one  who 


82 


RUKAL  AKCHITECTURE. 


builds  for  Lis  own  occupation  on  a  farm,  or  elsewhere ; 
and  the  tendency  in  building  is  constantly  to  expand,  to 
give  a  higher  finish,  and  in  fact,  to  over-build.  Indeed, 
if  we  were  to  draw  the  balance,  on  our  old  farms,  be- 
tween scantily-accommodated  houses,  and  houses  with 
needless  room  in  them,  the  latter  would  preponderate. 
Not  that  these  latter  houses  either  are  too  good,  or  too 
convenient  for  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  built, 
but  they  have  too  much  room,  and  that  room  badly 
appropriated  and  arranged. 

On  a  farm  proper,  the  whole  establishment  is  a 
%vorlzsliop.  The  shop  out  of  doors,  we  acknowledge, 
is  not  always  dry,  nor  always  warm ;  but  it  is  exceed- 
ingly well  aired  and  lighted,  and  a  place  where  indus- 
trious people  dearly  love  to  labor.  Within  doors  it  is 
a  work-shop  too.  There  is  always  labor  and  occupation 
for  the  family,  in  the  general  business  of  the  farm; 
therefore  but  little  room  is  wanted  for  either  luxury  or 
leisure,  and  the  farm  house  should  be  fully  occupied, 
with  the  exception,  perhaps,  of  a  single  room  on  the 
main  floor,  (and  that  not  a  large  one^)  for  some  regular 
business  purpose.  All  these  accommodated,  and  the  re- 
quirements of  the  house  are  ended.  Owners  of  rented 
farms  should  reflect,  too,  that  expensive  houses  on  their 
estates  entail  expensive  repairs,  and  that  continually. 
Many  tenants  are  careless  of  highly-finished  houses. 
'Not  early  accustomed  to  them,  they  misappropriate, 
perhaps,  the  best  rooms  in  the  house,  and  pay  little 
attention  to  the  purposes  for  which  the  owner  designed 
them,  or  to  the  manner  of  using  them.  It  is  therefore 
a  total  waste  of  money  to  build  a  house  on  a  tenant 


RUBAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


88 


estate  anything  beyond  the  mere  comfortable  wants  of 
the  family  occupying  it,  and  to  furnish  the  room  neces- 
sary for  the  accommodation  of  the  crops,  stock,  and 
farm  furniture,  in  the  barns  and  other  out-buildings  — 
all  in  a  cheap,  tidy,  yet  substantial  way. 

So,  too,  with  the  grounds  for  domestic  purposes 
around  the  house.  A  kitchen  garden,  sufficient  to 
grow  the  family  vegetables  —  a  few  plain  fruits  —  a 
posey  bed  or  two  for  the  girls  —  and  the  story  is  told. 
Give  a  larger  space  for  these  things  —  anything  in- 
deed, for  elegance  —  and  ten  to  one,  the  plow  is  intro- 
duced, a  corn  or  potato  patch  is  set  out,  field  culture  is 
adopted,  and  your  choice  grounds  are  torn  up,  defaced, 
and  sacrificed  to  the  commonest  uses. 

Notwithstanding  these  drawbacks,  a  cheerful,  home- 
expression  may  be  given,  and  should  be  given  to  the 
homestead,  in  the  character  and  construction  of  the 
buildings,  be  they  ever  so  rough  and  homely.  We 
can  call  to  mind  many  instances  of  primitive  houses  — 
log  cabins  even  —  built  when  none  better  could  be  had, 
that  presented  a  most  comfortable  and  life-enjoying 
picture — residences  once,  indeed,  of  those  who  swayed 
"the  applause  of  listening  senates,"  but  under  the 
hands  of  taste,  and  a  trifle  of  labor,  made  to  look 
comfortable,  happy,  and  sufficient.  We  confess,  there- 
fore, to  a  profound  veneration,  if  not  affection,  for  the 
humble  farm  house,  as  truly  American  in  character, 
and  which,  with  a  moderate  display  of  skill,  may  be 
made  equal  to  the  main  purposes  of  life  and  enjoyment 
for  all  such  as  do  not  aspire  to  a  high  display,  and 
who  are  content  to  make  the  most  of  moderate  means. 


84 


"RURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


Design  IL 

This  is  the  plan  of  a  house  and  out-buildings  based 
chiefly  on  one  which  we  built  of  wood  some  years  since 
on  a  farm  of  our  own,  and  which,  in  its  occupation, 
has  proved  to  be  one  of  exceeding  convenience  to  the 
purposes  intended.  As  a  farm  business  house,  we 
have  not  known  it  excelled ;  nor  in  the  ease  and  facility 
of  doing  up  the  house-work  within  it,  do  we  know  a 
better.  It  has  a  subdued,  quiet,  unpretending  look; 
yet  will  accommodate  a  family  of  a  dozen  workmen, 
besides  the  females  engaged  in  the  household  work, 
with  perfect  convenience ;  or  if  occupied  by  a  farmer 
with  but  his  own  family  around  him,  ample  room  is 
afforded  them  for  a  most  comfortable  mode  of  life,  and 
sufficient  for  the  requirements  of  a  farm  of  two,  to 
three  or  four  hundred  acres. 

This  house  is,  in  the  main  body,  36x22  feet,  one 
and  a  half  stories  high,  with  a  projection  on  the  rear 
3ixl6  feet,  for  the  kitchen  and  its  offices;  and  a 
still  further  addition  to  that,  of  26x18  feet,  for  wash- 
room. The  main  body  of  the  house  is  14  feet  high  to 
the  plates;  the  lower  rooms  are  9  feet  high;  the  roof 
has  a  pitch  of  35°  from  a  horizontal  line,  giving  par- 
tially-upright chambers  in  the  main  building,  and  roof 
lodging  rooms  in  the  rear.    The  rear,  or  kitchen  part, 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


87 


is  one  story  high,  with  10  feet  posts;  and  such  pitch  of 
roof  (which  last  runs  at  right  angles  to  the  main  body, 
and  laps  on  to  the  main  roof,)  as  will  carry  the  peak 
up  to  the  same  air  line.  This  addition  should  retreat 
6  inches  from  the  line  of  the  main  building,  on  the  side 
gi  ven  in  the  design,  and  18  inches  on  the  rear.  The 
rooms  on  this  kitchen  floor  are  S  feet  high,  leaying  one 
foot  above  the  upper  floor,  under  the  roof,  as  a  cham- 
ber garret,  or  lumber-room,  as  may  be  required.  Be- 
yond this,  in  the  rear,  is  the  other  extension  spoken 
of,  with  posts  9  feet  high,  for  a  buttery,  closet,  or  dairy, 
or  all  three  combined,  and  a  wash-room;  the  floor  of 
which  is  on  a  level  with  the  last,  and  the  roof  running 
•in  the  same  direction,  and  of  the  same  pitch.  In  front 
of  this  wash-room,  where  not  covered  by  the  wood- 
house,  is  an  open  porch,  8  feet  wide  and  10  feet  long, 
the  roof  of  which  runs  out  at  a  less  angle  than  the 
others  —  say  30°  from  a  horizontal  line.  Attached  to 
this  is  the  wood-house,  running  off  by  way  of  L,  at 
right  angles,  36x16  feet,  of  same  height  as  the  wash- 
room. 

Adjoining  the  wood-house,  on  the  same  front  line,  is 
a  building  50x20  feet,  with  12  feet  posts,  occupied 
as  a  workshop,  wagon-house,  stable,  and  store-room, 
with  a  lean-to  on  the  last  of  15x10  feet,  for  a  pig- 
gery. The  several  rooms  in  this  building  are  S  feet 
high,  affording  a  good  lumber  room  oyer  the  work- 
shop, and  hay  storage  over  the  wagon-house  and  stable. 
Over  the  wagon-house  is  a  gable,  with  a  blind  window 
swinging  on  hinges,  for  receiving  hay,  thus  relieving 
the  long,  uniform  line  of  roof,  and  affording  ample 


88 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


accommodation  on  each  side  to  a  pigeon-honse  or  dove- 
cote, if  required. 

The  style  of  this  establishment  is  of  plain  Italian,  or 
bracketed,  and  may  be  equally  applied  to  stone,  brick, 
or  wood.  The  roofs  are  broad,  and  protect  the  walls 
by  their  full  projection  over  them,  2  J  feet.  The  small 
gable  in  the  front  roof  of  the  main  dwelling  relieves  it 
of  its  otherwise  straight  uniformity,  and  affords  a  high 
door-window  opening  on  to  the  deck  of  the  veranda, 
which  latter  should  be  8  or  10  feet  in  width.  The 
shallow  windows,  also,  over  the  wings  of  the  veranda 
give  it  a  more  cheerful  expression.  The  lower  end 
windows  of  this  part  of  the  house  are  hooded,  or  shel- 
tered by  a  cheap  roof,  which  gives  them  a  snug  and 
most  comfortable  appearance.  The  veranda  may  ap- 
pear more  ornamental  than  the  plain  character  of  the 
house  requires ;  but  any  superfluous  work  upon  it  may 
be  omitted,  and  the  style  of  finish  conformed  to  the 
other.  The  veranda  roof  is  flatter  than  that  of  the 
house,  but  it  may  be  made  perfectly  tight  by  closer 
shingling,  and  paint;  while  the  deck  or  platform  in 
the  centre  may  be  roofed  with  zinc,  or  tin,  and  a  coat 
of  sanded  paint  laid  upon  it.  The  front  chimney  is 
plain,  yet  in  keeping  with  the  general  style  of  the 
house,  and  may  be  made  of  ordinary  bricks.  The  two 
parts  of  the  chimney,  as  they  appear  in  the  front  rooms, 
are  drawn  together  as  they  pass  through  the  chamber 
above,  and  become  one  at  the  roof.  The  kitchen  chim- 
neys pass  up  through  the  peaks  of  their  respective 
roofs,  and  should  be  in  like  character  with  the  othesr 


CHAMBER  PLAN. 


GROUND  FLAN. 


90 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


INTERIOR  ARRANGEMENT. 

The  front  ioor  of  this  house  opens  into  a  small  entry 
or  hall,  9x6  feet,  which  is  lighted  by  a  low  sash  of 
glass  over  the  front  door.  A  door  leads  into  a  room 
on  each  side;  and  at  the  inner  end  of  the  hall  is  a 
recess  between  the  two  chimneys  of  the  opposite  rooms, 
in  which  may  be  placed  a  table  or  broad  shelf  to 
receive  hats  and  coats.  On  the  left  is  a  parlor  22x15 
feet,  lighted  on  one  side  by  a  double  window,  and 
in  front  by  a  single  plain  one.  The  fireplace  is  cen- 
trally placed  on  one  side  of  the  room,  in  the  middle  of 
the  house.  On  one  side  of  the  fireplace  is  a  closet,  three 
feet  deep,  with  shelves,  and  another  closet  at  the  inner 
end  of  the  room,  near  the  kitchen  door ;  or  this  closet 
may  be  dispensed  with  for  the  use  of  this  parlor,  and 
given  up  to  enlarge  the  closet  which  is  attached  to 
the  bedroom.  Another  door  opens  directly  into  the 
kitchen.  This  parlor  is  9  feet  high  between  joints. 
The  sitting-room  is  opposite  to  the  parlor,  19x15  feet, 
and  lighted  and  closeted  in  nearly  the  same  manner, 
as  will  be  seen  by  referring  to  the  floor  plan. 

The  kitchen  is  the  grand  room  of  this  house.  It  is 
24x16  feet  in  area,  having  an  ample  fireplace,  with  its 
hooks  and  trammels,  and  a  spacious  oven  by  its  side. 
It  is  lighted  by  a  double  window  at  one  end,  and  a 
single  window  near  the  fireplace.  At  one  end  ot  this 
kitchen  is  a  most  comfortable  and  commodious  fam- 
ily bedroom,  13x10  feet,  with  a  large  closet  in  one 
corner,  and  lighted  by  a  window  in  the  side.  Two 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


91 


windows  may  be  inserted  if  wanted.  A  passage  leads 
by  the  side  of  the  oven  to  a  sink-room,  or  recess,  be- 
hind the  chimney,  with  shelves  to  dry  dishes  on,  and 
lighted  by  the  half  of  a  double  window,  which  accom- 
modates with  its  other  half  the  dairy,  or  closet  adjoin- 
ing. A  door  also  opens  from  this  recess  into  the  closet 
and  dairy,  furnished  with  broad  shelves,  that  part  of 
which,  next  the  kitchen,  is  used  for  dishes,  cold  meat 
and  bread  cupboards,  &c. ;  while  the  part  of  it  adjoin- 
ing the  window  beyond,  is  used  for  milk.  This  room  is 
14x6  feet,  besides  the  L  running  up  next  to  the  kitchen, 
of  6x4  feet.  From  the  kitchen  also  opens  a  closet 
into  the  front  part  of  the  house  for  any  purpose  needed. 
This  adjoins  the  parlor,  and  sitting-room,  closets.  In 
the  passage  to  the  sitting-room  also  opens  the  stairway 
leading  to  the  chambers,  and  beneath,  at  the  other  end 
of  it,  next  the  outside  wall,  is  a  flight  leading  down 
cellar.  The  cellar  is  excavated  under  the  whole  house, 
being  36x22,  and  34x16  feet,  with  glass  windows,  one 
light  deep  by  four  wide,  of  8x10  glass;  and  an  outer 
door,  and  flight  of  steps  outside,  under  either  the  sitting- 
room  or  kitchen  windows,  as  may  be  most  convenient. 
A  door  opens,  also,  from  the  kitchen,  into  a  passage  4 
feet  wide  and  12  feet  long  leading  to  the  wash-room, 
18x16  feet,  and  by  an  outside  door,  through  this  passage 
to  the  porch.  In  this  passage  may  be  a  small  window 
to  give  it  light. 

In  the  wash-room  are  two  windows.  A  chimney  at  the 
far  end  accommodates  a  boiler  or  two,  and  a  fireplace, 
if  required.  A  sink  stands  adjoining  the  chimney.  A 
flight  of  stairs,  leading  to  a  garret  over  head  on  one  side, 


B2 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


and  to  the  kitchen  chamber  on  the  other,  stands  next 
the  dairy,  into  which  last  a  door  also  leads.  In  this 
wash-room  may  be  located  the  cooking  stove  in  warm 
weather,  leaving  the  main  kitchen  for  a  family  and  eat- 
ing room.  A  door  also  leads  from  the  wash-room  into 
the  wood-house. 

The  wood-house  stands  lower  than  the  floor  of  th 
wash-room,  from  which  it  falls,  by  steps.  This  is  large, 
because  a  plentiful  store  of  wood  is  needed  for  a  dwell- 
ing of  this  character.  If  the  room  be  not  all  wanted 
for  such  purpose,  a  part  of  it  may  devoted  to  other 
necessary  uses,  there  seldom  being  too  much  shelter  of 
this  kind  on  a  farm ;  through  the  rear  wall  of  this  wood- 
house  leads  a  door  into  the  garden,  or  clothes-yard,  as 
the  case  may  be ;  and  at  its  extreme  angle  is  a  water 
closet,  6x4  feet,  by  way  of  lean-to,  with  a  hipped 
roof,  8  feet  high,  running  off  from  both  the  wood-house 
and  workshop.  This  water-closet  is  lighted  by  a  slid- 
ing sash  window. 

On  to  the  wood-house,  in  a  continuous  front  line,  joins 
the  workshop,  an  indispensable,  appendage  to  farm 
convenience.  This  has  a  flight  of  stairs  leading  to  the 
lumber-room  above.  For  the  furnishing  of  this  apart- 
ment, see  description  of  Design  I.  Next  to  the  work- 
house is  the  wagon  and  tool-house,  above  which  is  the 
hay  loft,  also  spread  over  the  stable  adjoining;  in  which 
last  are  stalls  for  a  pair  of  horses,  which  may  be  re- 
quired for  uses  other  than  the  main  labors  of  the  farm — 
to  run  to  market,  carry  the  family  to  church,  or  else- 
where. A  pair  of  horses  for  such  purposes  should 
always  be  kept  near  the  house.    The  horse-stalb 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


93 


occupy  a  space  of  10x12  feet,  with  racks  and  feeding 
boxes.  The  plans  of  these  will  be  described  hereafter. 
The  door  leading  out  from  these  stalls  is  5  feet  wide, 
and  faces  the  partition,  so  that  each  horse  may  be  led 
out  or  in  at  an  easy  angle  from  them.  Beyond  the 
stalls  is  a  passage  4  feet  wide,  leading  to  a  store-room 
or  area,  from  which  a  flight  of  rough  stairs  leads  to  the 
hay  loft  above.  Beyond  this  room,  in  which  is  the  oat 
bin  for  the  horses,  is  a  small  piggery,  for  the  conven- 
ience of  a  pig  or  two,  which  are  always  required  to  con- 
sume the  daily  wash  and  offal  of  the  house ;  and  not 
for  the  general  joorfo  stock  of  the  farm ;  which,  on  one 
of  this  size,  may  be  expected  to  require  more  commo- 
dious quarters. 

The  chamber  plan  of  this  house  is  commodious,  fur- 
nishing one  large  room  and  three  smaller  ones.  The 
small  chamber  leading  to  the  deck  over  the  porch,  may, 
or  may  not  be  occupied  as  a  sleeping  room.  The 
small  one  near  the  stairs  may  contain  a  single  bed,  or 
be  occupied  as  a  large  clothes-closet.  Through  this,  a 
door  leads  into  the  kitchen  chamber,  which  may  serve 
as  one,  or  more  laborers'  bed-chambers.  They  may  be 
lighted  by  one  or  more  windows  in  the  rear  gable. 

If  more  convenient  to  the  family,  the  parlor  and  sit- 
ting-room, already  described,  may  change  their  occu- 
pation, and  one  substituted  for  the  other. 

The  main  business  approach  to  this  house  should  be 
by  a  lane,  or  farm  road  opening  on  the  side  next  the 
stable  and  wagon-house.  The  yard,  in  front  of  these  last 
named  buildings,  should  be  separated  from  the  lawn, 
or  front  door-yard  of  the  dwelling.    The  establishment 


94 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


should  stand  some  distance  back  from  the  traveled 
highway,  and  be  decorated  with  such  trees,  shrubbery 
and  cultivation,  as  the  taste  of  the  owner  may  direct. 
No  general  rules  or  directions  can  be  applicable  to  this 
design  beyond  what  have  already  been  given;  and  the 
subject  must  be  treated  as  circumstances  may  suggest. 
The  unfrequented  side  of  the  house  should,  however,  be 
flanked  with  a  garden,  either  ornamental,  or  fruit  and 
vegetable ;  as  buildings  of  this  character  ought  to  com- 
mand a  corresponding  share  of  attention  with  the 
grounds  by  which  they  are  surrounded. 

This  house  will  appear  equally  well  built  of  wood, 
brick,  or  stone.  Its  cost,  according  to  materials,  or 
finish,  may  be  $1,000  or  $1,500.  The  out-buildings  at- 
tached, will  add  $400  to  $600,  with  the  same  condition^ 
as  to  finish ;  but  the  whole  may  be  substantially  and 
well  built  of  either  stone,  brick,  or  wood,  where  each 
may  be  had  at  equal  convenience,  for  $2,000  in  the  in- 
terior of  New  York.  Of  course,  it  is  intended  to  do 
all  the  work  plain,  and  in  character  for  tl  e  occupation 
to  which  it  is  intended. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


95 


MISCELLANEOUS  DETAILS. 

At  this  point  of  our  remarks  a  word  or  two  may  be 
offered  on  the  general  subject  of  inside  finish  to  farm 
houses,  which  may  be  applicable  more  or  less  to  any 
one,  or  all  of  the  designs  that  may  come  under  our  ob- 
servation ;  therefore  what  is  here  said,  may  be  applied 
at  large.  Different  sections  of  the  United  States  have 
their  own  several  local  notions,  or  preferences  as  to  the 
mode  of  finish  to  their  houses  and  out-buildings,  accord- 
ing to  climate,  education,  or  other  circumstances.  In 
all  these  matters  neither  taste,  fashion,  nor  climate 
should  be  arbitrary.  The  manner  of  finish  may  be 
various,  without  any  departure  from  truth  or  propri- 
ety—  always  keeping  in  mind  the  object  for  which  it  is 
intended.  The  material  for  a  country  house  should  be 
strong,  and  durable,  and  the  work  simple  in  its  details, 
beyond  that  for  either  town  or  suburban  houses.  It 
should  be  strong,  for  the  reason  that  the  interior  of  the 
farm  house  is  used  for  purposes  of  industry,  in  finishing 
up  and  perfecting  the  labors  of  the  farm ;  labors  indis- 
pensable too,  and  in  amount  beyond  the  ordinary  house- 
keeping requirements  of  a  family  whoTiave  little  to  do 
but  merely  to  live,  and  make  themselves  comfortable. 
The  material  should  be  durable,  because  the  distance 
at  which  the  farm  house  is  usually  located  from  the 


96 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


residences  of  building  mechanics,  renders  it  particu- 
larly troublesome  and  expensive  to  make  repairs,  and 
alterations.  The  work  should  be  simple,  because  cheap- 
er in  the  first  place,  in  construction,  and  finish ;  quite 
as  appropriate  and  satisfactory  in  appearance ;  and  de- 
manding infinitely  less  labor  and  pains  to  care  for,  and 
protect  it  afterward.  Therefore  all  mouldings,  archi- 
traves, chisel-work,  and  gewgawgery  in  interior  finish 
should  be  let  alone  in  the  living  and  daily  occupied 
rooms  of  the  house.  If,  to  a  single  parlor,  or  spare 
bedchamber  a  little  ornamental  work  be  permitted,  let 
even  that  be  in  moderation,  and  just  enough  to  teach 
the  active  mistress  and  her  daughters  what  a  world  of 
scrubbing  and  elbow  work  they  have  saved  themselves 
in  the  enjoyment  of  a  plainly-finished  house,  instead 
of  one  full  of  gingerbread  work  and  finery.  None 
but  the  initiated  can  tell  the  affliction  that  chiseled 
finishing  entails  on  housekeepers  in  the  spider,  fly,  and 
other  insect  lodgment  which  it  invites — frequently  the 
cause  of  more  annoyance  and  daily  disquietude  in 
housekeeping,  because  unnecessary,  than  real  griefs 
from  which  we  may  not  expect  to  escape.  Bases,  cas- 
ings, sashes,  doors  —  all  should  be  plain,  and  painted 
or  stained  a  quiet  russet  color — a  color  natural  to  the 
woods  used  for  the  finish,  if  it  can  be,  showing,  in  their 
wear,  as  little  of  dust,  soiling,  and  fly  dirt  as  possible. 
There  is  no  poetry  about  common  housekeeping.  Cook- 
ing, house-cleaning,  washing,  scrubbing,  sweeping,  are 
altogether  matter-of-fact  duties,  and  usually  considered 
work,  not  recreation ;  and  these  should  all  be  made 
easy  of  performance,  and  as  seldom  to  be  done  as 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


97 


possible ;  although  the  first  item  always  was,  and  al- 
ways will  be,  and  the  last  item  should  be,  an  every-day 
vocation  for  somebody;  and  the  manner  of  inside  finish 
to  a  house  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  all  these  labors. 

In  a  stone,  or  brick  house,  the  inside  walls  should 
be  firred  off  for  plastering.  This  may  be  done  either 
by  "  plugging,"  that  is,  driving  a  plug  of  wood  strongly 
into  the  mortar  courses,  into  which  the  firring  should' 
be  nailed,  or  by  laying  a  strip  of  thin  board  in  the  mor- 
tar course,  the  entire  length  of  each  wall.  This  is  better 
than  blocks  laid  in  for  such  purpose,  because  it  is  ef- 
fectually bound  by  the  stone,  or  brick  work;  whereas, 
a  block  may  get  loose  by  shrinking,  but  the  nails  which 
hold  the  firring  to  the  plug,  or  to  the  thin  strip  of  board 
will  split  and  wedge  it  closer  to  the  mason  work  of  the 
outside  wall.  This  is  an  important  item.  It  makes 
close  work  too,  and  leaves  no  room  for  rats,  mice,  or 
other  vermin ;  and  as  it  admits  a  space  —  no  matter 
how  thin — so  that  no  outside  damp  from  the  walls  can 
communicate  into,  or  through  the  inner  plastering,  it 
answers  all  purposes.  The  inside,  and  partition  walls 
should  be  of  coarse,  strong  mortar,  floated  off  2^  smooth- 
ly as  may  be,  not  a  hard  finish^  which  is  fine,  and 
costly;  and  then  papered  throughout  for  the  better 
rooms,  and  the  commonly-used  rooms  whitewashed. 
Paper  gives  a  most  comfortable  look  to  the  rooms,  more 
so  than  paint,  and  much  less  expensive,  while  nothing  is 
so  sweet,  tidy,  and  cheerful  to  the  working  rooms  of  the 
house  as  a  lime  wash,  either  white,  or  softened  down 
with  some  agreeable  tint,  such  as  light  blue,  green,  drab, 
fawn,  or  russet,  to  give  the  shade  desired,  and  for  which 


98 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


every  professional  painter  and  whitewasher  in  the  vi- 
cinity, can  furnish  a  proper  recipe  applicable  to  the 
place  and  climate.  On  such  subjects  we  choose  to 
prescribe,  rather  than  to  play  the  apothecary  by  giv- 
ing any  of  the  thousand  and  one  recipes  extant,  for  the 
composition. 

Our  remarks  upon  the  strength  and  durability  of 
7naterial  in  house-building  do  not  apply  exclusively  to 
brick  and  stone.  Wood  is  included  also;  and  of  this, 
there  is  much  difference  in  the  kind.  Sound  white 
oak,  is,  perhaps  the  best  material  for  the  heavy  frame- 
work of  any  house  or  out-building,  and  when  to  be 
had  at  a  moderate  expense,  we  would  recommend  it  in 
preference  to  any  other.  If  white  oak  cannot  be  had, 
the  other  varieties  of  oak,  or  chesnut  are  the  next  best. 
In  light  frame-timbers,  such  as  studs,  girts,  joists,  or 
rafters,  oak  is  inclined  to  spring  and  warp,  and  we 
would  prefer  hemlock,  or  chesnut,  which  holds  a  nail 
equally  as  well,  or,  in  its  absence,  pine,  (which  holds  a 
nail  badly,)  whitewood,  or  black  walnut.  The  outside 
finish  to  a  wooden  house,  may  be  lighter  than  in  one  of 
stone  or  brick.  The  wood  work  on  the  outside  of  the 
latter  should  always  be  heavy,  and  in  character  with 
the  walls,  giving  an  air  of  firmness  and  stability  to  the 
whole  structure.  ~No  elaborate  carving,  or  bead  work 
should  be  permitted  on  the  outside  work  of  a  country 
house  at  all ;  and  only  a  sufficient  quantity  of  ornamen- 
tal tracery  of  any  kind,  to  break  the  monotony  of  a 
plainness  that  would  otherwise  give  it  a  formal,  or  un- 
couth expression,  and  relieve  it  of  what  some  would 
consider  a  pasteboard  look.    A  farm  house,  in  fact,  of 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


99 


any  degree,  either  cheap  01  expensive,  should  wear  the 
same  appearance  as  a  well-dressed  person  of  either  sex ; 
so  that  a  stranger,  not  looking  at  them  for  the  purpose 
of  inspecting  their  garb,  should,  after  an  interview,  be 
unable  to  tell  what  particular  sort  of  dress  they  wore, 
so  perfectly  in  keeping  was  it  with  propriety, 

In  the  design  now  under  discussion,  a  cellar  is  made 
under  the  whole  body  of  the  house ;  and  this  cellar  is 
a  shallow  one,  so  far  as  being  sunk  into  the  ground  is 
concerned,  say  5  J  feet,  leaving  21  feet  of  cellar  wall 
above  ground — 8  feet  in  all.  A  part  of  the  wall  above 
ground  should  be  covered  by  the  excavated  earth,  and 
sloped  off  to  a  level  with  the  surrounding  surface.  A 
commodious,  well-lighted,  and  well- ventilated  cellar  is 
one  of  the  most  important  apartments  of  the  farm  house. 
It  should,  if  the  soil  be  compact,  be  well  drained  from 
some  point  or  corner  within  the  walls  into  a  lower  level 
outside,  to  which  point  within,  the  whole  floor  surface 
should  incline,  and  the  bottom  be  floored  with  water- 
lime  cement.  This  will  make  it  hard,  durable,  and  dry. 
It  may  then  be  washed  and  scrubbed  off  as  easily  as 
an  upper  floor.  If  the  building  site  be  high,  and  in  a 
gravelly,  or  sandy  soil,  neither  drain  nor  flooring  will 
be  required.  The  cellar  may  be  used  for  the  storage 
of  root  crops,  apples,  meats,  and  household  vegetables. 
A  partitioned  room  will  accommodate  either  a  summer 
or  a  winter  dairy,  if  not  otherwise  provided,  and  a 
'  multitude  of  conveniences  may  be  made  of  it  in  all  well 
arranged  farmeries.  But  in  all  cases  the  cellar  should 
be  well  lighted,  ventilated,  and  dry.  Even  the  ash- 
house  and  smoke-house  may  be  made  in  it  with  perfect 


100 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


convenience,  by  brick  or  stone  partitions,  and  the  smoke- 
house flue  be  carried  up  into  one  of  the  chimney  flues 
above,  and  thus  make  a  more  snug  and  compact  ar- 
rangement than  to  have  separate  buildings  for  those 
objects.  A  wash-room,  in  which,  also,  the  soap  may  be 
made,  the  tallow  and  lard  tried  up,  and  other  extraor- 
dinary labor  when  fire  heat  is  to  be  used,  may  properly 
be  made  in  a  cellar,  particularly  when  on  a  sloping 
ground,  and  easy  of  access  to  the  ground  level  on  one 
side.  But,  as  a  general  rule,  such  room  is  better  on 
a  level  wdth  the  main  floor  of  the  dwelling,  and  there 
are  usually  sufficient  occupations  foi  the  cellar  without 
them. 

All  cellar  walls  should  be  at  least  18  inches  thick, 
for  even  a  wrooden  house,  and  from  that  to  2  feet  for 
a  stone  or  brick  one,  and  well  laid  in  strong  lime-mor- 
tar. Unmortared  cellar  walls  are  frequently  laid  under 
wTooden  buildings,  and  pointed  with  lime-mortar  inside ; 
but  this  is  sometimes  dug  out  by  rats,  and  is  apt  to 
crumble  and  fall  out  otherwise.  A  complete  cellat 
wall  should  be  thoroughly  laid  in  mortar. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


103 


Design  III. 

We  here  present  the  reader  with  a  substantial,  plain; 
yet  highly-respectable  stone  or  brick  farm  house,  of 
the  second  class,  suitable  for  an  estate  of  three,  to  five 
hundred  acres,  and  accommodation  for  a  family  of  a 
dozen  or  more  persons.  The  style  is  mixed  rural 
Gothic,  Italian,  and  bracketed;  yet  in  keeping  with 
the  character  of  the  farm,  and  the  farmer's  standing 
and  occupation. 

The  main  body  of  this  house  is  42x24  feet  on  the 
ground,  and  one  and  three  quarter  stories  high  —  the 
chambers  running  two  or  three  feet  into  the  roof,  aa 
choice  or  convenience  may  direct.  The  roof  has  a 
pitch  of  30  to  40°  from  a  horizontal  line,  and  broadly 
spread  over  the  walls,  say  two  and  a  half  feet,  showing 
the  ends  of  the  rafters,  bracket  fashion.  The  chimneys 
pass  out  through  the  peak  of  the  roof,  where  the  hips 
of  what  would  otherwise  be  the  gables,  connect  with 
the  long  sides  of  the  roof  covering  the  front  and  rear. 
On  the  long  front  is  partly  seen,  in  the  perspective,  a 
portico,  10x10  feet  —  not  the  chief  entrance  front,  but 
rather  a  side  front,  practically,  which  leads  into  a  lawn 
or  garden,  as  may  be  most  desirable,  and  from  which 
the  best  view  from  the  house  is  commanded.  Over 
this  porch  is  a  small  gable  running  into  the  roof,  to 
break  its  monotony,  in  which  is  a  door-window  leading 
from  the  upper  hall  on  to  the  deck  of  the  porch.  This 


1(A 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


gable  has  the  same  finish  as  the  main  roof,  by  brackets 
The  chamber  windows  are  two-thirds  or  three-quarters 
the  size  of  the  lower  ones;  thus  showing  the  upper 
story  not  full  height  bekw  the  plates,  but  running  two 
to  four  feet  into  the  garret.  The  rear  wing,  containing 
the  entrance  or  business  front,  is  24x32  feet,  one  and 
a  half  stories  high,  with  a  pitch  of  roof  not  less  than 
35°,  and  spread  over  the  walls  both  at  the  eaves  and 
gable,  in  the  same  proportion  as  the  roof  to  the  main 
body.  In  front  of  this  is  a  porch  or  veranda  eight  feet 
wide,  with  a  low,  hipped  roof.  In  the  front  and  rear 
roofs  of  this  wing  is  a  dormar  window,  to  light  the 
chambers.  The  gable  to  this  wing  is  bold,  and  gives 
it  character  by  the  breadth  of  its  roof  over  the  walls, 
and  the  strong  brackets  by  which  it  is  supported.  The 
chimney  is  thrown  up  strong  and  boldly  at  the  point 
of  the  roof,  indicating  the  every-day  uses  of  the  fire  • 
places  below,  which,  although  distinct  and  wide  apart 
in  their  location  on  the  ground  floors,  are  drawn  to- 
gether in  the  chambers,  thus  showing  only  one  escape 
through  the  roof. 

The  wood-house  in  the  rear  of  the  wing  has  a  roof 
of  the  same  character,  and  connects  with  the  long 
building  in  the  rear,  which  has  the  same  description 
of  roof,  but  hipped  at  one  end.  That  end  over  the 
workshop,  and  next  the  wood-house,  shows  a  bold 
gable  like  the  wing  of  the  house,  and  affords  room  and 
light  to  the  lumber  room  over  the  shop,  and  also  giv°,s 
variety  and  relief  to  the  otherwise  too  great  sameness  of 
roof-appearance  on  the  further  side  of  the  establishment, 


106 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


INTERIOR  ARRANGEMENT. 

As  has  been  remarked,  the  main  entrai  ce  front  to 
this  house  is  from  the  wing  veranda,  from  which  a  well 
finished  and  sizeable  door  leads  into  the  principal  hall, 
24x8  feet  in  area,  and  lighted  by  a  full-sized  window 
at  the  front  end.  Opposite  the  entrance  door  is  the 
door  leading  into  the  parlor ;  and  farther  along  is  the 
staircase,  under  the  upper  landing  of  which  a  door 
leads  into  a  dining  or  sitting-room,  as  may  be  deter- 
mined. This  hall  is  10  feet  high,  as  are  all  the  rooms 
of  this  lower  main  story.  In  the  chimney,  which 
adjoins  the  parlor  side  of  this  hall,  may  be  inserted  a 
thimble  for  a  hall  stovepipe,  if  this  method  of  warming 
should  be  adopted.  The  parlor,  into  which  a  door 
leads  from  the  hall,  is  18x16  feet,  with  two  windows 
on  the  side,  shown  in  perspective,  and  one  on  the  front 
facing  the  lawn,  or  garden.  It  has  also  a  fireplace 
near  the  hall  door.  At  the  further  angle  is  a  door 
leading  to  an  entry  or  passage  on  to  the  portico.  E  is 
the  entry  just  mentioned,  six  feet  square,  and  lighted 
by  a  short  sash,  one  light  deep,  over  the  outside  door. 
This  portico  may  be  made  a  pleasant  summer  afternoon 
and  evening  resort  for  the  family,  by  which  the  occu- 
pied rooms  connect  with  the  lawn  or  garden,  thus 
adding  to  its  retired  and  private  character. 

Opposite  the  parlor,  on  the  other  side  of  this  entry, 
a  door  leads  into  a  room  18x12  feet,  which  may  be 
occupied  as  a  family  bedroom,  library,  or  small  sitting- 
room.  This  is  lighted  by  two.  windows,  and  has  a 
closet  of  6x5  feet.    A  fireplace  is  on  the  inner  side  of 


ilTJRAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


107 


this  room ;  and  near  to  that,  a  door  connects  with  a 
dining-room  of  the  same  size,  having  a  window  in  one 
end,  and  a  fireplace,  and  closet  of  the  same  size  as  the 
last.  Through  the  rear  wall  is  a  door  leading  into  a 
pantry,  which  also  communicates  with  the  kitchen  ; 
and  another  door  leads  to  the  hall,  and  from  the  hall, 
under  the  staircases,  (which,  at  that  point,  are  suffi- 
ciently high  for  the  purpose,)  is  a  passage  leading  to 
the  kitchen. 

Under  the  wing  veranda,  near  the  point  of  intersec- 
tion of  the  wing  with  the  main  body  of  the  house,  is 
an  every-day  outer  door,  leading  into  a  small  entry, 
6x5  feet,  and  lighted  by  a  low,  one-sash  window  over 
the  door.  By  another  door,  this  leads  to  the  kitchen, 
or  family  room,  which  is  lighted  by  three  windows. 
An  ample  fireplace,  with  oven,  etc.,  accommodates 
this  room  at  the  end.  A  closet,  7x5  feet,  also  stands 
next  to  the  entry;  and  beyond  that,  an  open  passage, 
to  the  left,  leading  out  under  the  front  hall  stairs  to  the 
rooms  of  the  main  building.  A  door  also  leads  from 
that  passage  into  a  best  pantry,  for  choice  crockery, 
sweetmeats,  and  tea-table  comforts.  Another  dcor, 
near  the  last,  leads  into  a  dairy  or  milk-room,  9x8  feet, 
beyond  the  passage  ;  in  which  last,  also,  maybe  placed 
a  tier  of  narrow  shelves.  This  milk,  or  dairy-room,  is 
lighted  by  a  window  in  the  end,  and  connects  also,  by  a 
door  in  the  side,  with  the  outer  kitchen,  or  wash-room. 
ISText  to  this  milk-room  door,  in  the  front  kitchen,  is 
another  door  leading  down  cellar ;  and  through  this 
door,  passing  by  the  upper,  broad  stair  of  the  flight  of 

cellar  steps,  is  another  door  into  the  wash-room.  A.t 
5* 


108 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


the  farther  angle  of  the  kitchen  is  still  another  door, 
opening  into  a  passage  four  feet  wide;  and,  in  that  pas- 
sage, a  door  leading  up  a  flight  of  stairs  into  the  wing 
chambers.  This  passage  opens  into  the  back  kitchen, 
or  wash-room,  16x16  feet  in  area,  and  lighted  by  two 
windows,  one  of  which  looks  into  the  wood-house.  In 
this  wash-room  is  a  chimney  with  boilers  and  fireplace, 
as  may  be  required.  The  cellar  and  chamber  stairs, 
and  the  milk-room  are  also  accessible  direct,  by  doors 
leading  from  this  wash-room. 

The  chamber  plan  will  be  readily  understood,  and 
requires  no  particular  description.  The  space  over  the 
wing  may  be  partitioned  off  according  to  the  plan,  or 
left  more  open  for  the  accommodation  of  the  "work 
folks,55  as  occasion  may  demand.  But,  as  this  dwell- 
ing is  intended  for  substantial  people,  "well  to  do  in 
the  world,'5  and  who  extend  a  generous  hospitality  U 
their  friends,  a  liberal  provision  of  sleeping  chambers 
is  given  to  the  main  body  of  the  house.  The  parlor 
chamber,  which  is  the  best,  or  spare  one,  is  18x16 
feet,  with  roomy  side-closets.  Besides  this,  are  othei 
rooms  for  the  daughters  Sally,  and  Nancy,  and  Fanny, 
and  possibly  Mary  and  Elizabeth — who  want  their 
own  chambers,  which  they  keep  so  clean  and  tidy, 
with  closets  full  of  nice  bedclothes,  table  linen,  towels, 
&c,  &c,  for  certain  events  not  yet  whispered  of,  but 
quite  sure  to  come  round.  And  then  there  are  Fred- 
erick, and  Robert,  and  George,  fine  stalwart  boys 
coming  into  manhood,  intending  to  be  "  somebody  in 
the  world,55  one  day  or  another;  they  must  have  their 
rooms — and  good  ones  too;  for,  if  any  people  are  to 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


109 


be  well  lodged,  why  not  those  who  toil  for  it?  All 
such  accommodation  every  farm  house  of  this  character 
should  afford.  And  we  need  not  go  far,  or  look  sharp, 
to  see  the  best  men  and  the  best  women  in  our  state 
and  nation  graduating  from  the  wTholesome  farm  house 
thus  tidily  and  amply  provided.  How  delightfully 
look  the  far-off  mountains,  or  the  nearer  plains,  or 
prairies,  from  the  lawn  porch  of  this  snug  farm  house! 
The  distant  lake;  the  shining  river,  singing  away 
through  the  valley;  or  the  wimpling  brook,  stealing 
through  the  meadow!  Aye,  enjoy  them  all,  for  they 
are  God's  best,  richest  gifts,  and  we  are  made  to  love 
them. 

The  wood-house  strikes  off  from  the  back  kitchen, 
retreating  two  feet  from  its  gable  wall,  and  is  36x14 
feet  in  size.  A  bathing  room  may  be  partitioned  oft1 
8x6  feet,  on  the  rear  corner  next  the  wash-room,  if 
required,  although  not  laid  down  in  the  plan.  At  the 
further  end  is  the  water-closet,  6x4  feet.  Or,  if  the 
size  and  convenience  of  the  family  require  it,  a  part  of 
the  wood-house  may  be  partitioned  off"  for  a  wash-room, 
from  which  a  chimney  may  pass  up  through  the  peak 
of  the  roof.  If  so,  carry  it  up  so  high  that  it  will  bo 
above  the  ecldy  that  the  wind  may  make  in  passing 
over  the  adjoining  wing,  not  causing  it  to  smoke  from 
that  cause. 

At  the  far  end  of  the  wood-house  is  the  workshop  and 
tool-house,  18x16  feet,  lighted  by  two  windows,  and 
a  door  to  enter  it  from  beneath  the  wood-house.  Over 
this,  is  the  lumber  and  store-room. 

Next  to  this  is  the  swill-room  and  pigsty  for  the 


110 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


house  pigs,  as  described  in  the  last  design ;  and  over 
it  a  loft  for  farm  seeds,  small  grains,  and  any  other 
storage  required. 

Adjoining  this  is  the  wagon  and  carriage-house ;  and 
above,  the  hayloft,  stretching,  also,  partly  over  the 
stable  which  stands  next,  with  two  stalls,  12x5  feet 
each,  wTith  a  flight  of  stairs  leading  to  the  loft,  in  the 
passage  next  the  door.  In  this  loft  are  swinging  win- 
dows, to  let  in  hay  for  the  horses. 

This  completes  the  household  establishment,  and  we 
leave  the  surroundings  to  the  correct  judgment  and 
good  taste  of  the  proprietor  to  complete,  as  its  position, 
and  the  variety  of  objects  with  which  it  may  be  con- 
nected, requires. 

Stone  and  brick  we  have  mentioned  as  the  proper 
materials  for  this  house ;  but  it  may  be  also  built  ol 
wood,  if  more  within  the  means  and  limits  of  *!ie 
builder.  There  should  be  no  pinching  in  its  propor- 
tions, but  every  part  carried  out  in  its  full  breadth  and 
effect. 

The  cost  of  the  whole  establishment  may  be  from 
$2,000,  to  $3,000 ;  depending  somewhat  upon  the  ma- 
terial used,  and  the  finish  put  upon  it.  The  first-named 
sum  would  build  the  whole  in  an  economical  and  plain 
manner,  while  the  latter  would  complete  it  amply  iv 
its  details. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


Ill 


MISCELLANE OUS. 

It  may  be  an  objection  in  the  minds  of  some  persons 
to  the  various  plans  here  submitted,  that  we  have  con- 
nected the  out-buildings  immediately  with  the  offices 
of  the  dwelling  itself.  We  are  well  aware  that  such 
is  not  always  usual;  but  many  years  observation  have 
convinced  us,  that  in  their  use  and  occupation,  such 
connection  is  altogether  the  most  convenient  and  eco- 
nomical. The  only  drawback  is  in  the  case  of  lire; 
which,  if  it  occur  in  any  one  building,  the  whole  estab- 
lishment is  liable  to  be  consumed.  This  objectio?i  is 
conceded ;  but  wre  take  it,  that  it  is  the  business  of 
every  one  not  able  to  be  his  own  insurer,  to  have  his 
buildings  insured  by  others ;  and  the  additional  cost  of 
this  insurance  is  not  a  tithe  of  what  the  extra  expense 
of  time,  labor,  and  exposure  is  caused  to  the  family  by 
having  the  out-buildings  disconnected,  and  at  a  fire- 
proof distance  from  each  other.  There  has,  too,  in  the 
separation  of  these  out-buildings,  (we  do  not  now  speak 
of  barns,  and  houses  for  the  stock,  and  the  farmwork 
proper,)  from  the  main  dwelling,  crept  into  the  con- 
struction of  such  dwellings,  by  modern  builders,  some 
things,  which  in  a  country  establishment,  particularly, 
ought  never  to  be  there,  such  as  privies,  or  water-closets^ 
as  they  are  more  genteelly  called.  These  last,  in  our  esti- 
mation, have  no  business  in  a  farmers  house.  They  are 
an  effeminacy,  only,  and  introduced  by  city  life.  An 
appendage  they  should  be,  but  separated  to  some  dis- 
tance from  the  living  rooms,  and  accessible  by  sheltered 


112 


KUKAL  AKCHITECTUBE. 


passages  to  them.  The  wood-house  should  adjoin  tho 
outer  kitchen,  because  the  fuel  should  always  be  handy, 
and  the  outer  kitchen,  or  wash-room  is  a  sort  of  slop- 
room,  of  necessity ;  and  the  night  wood,  and  that  for  the 
morning  fires  may  be  deposited  in  it  for  immediate  use. 
The  workshop,  and  small  tool-house  naturally  comes 
next  to  that,  as  being  chiefly  used  in  stormy  weather. 
Next  to  this  last,  would,  more  conveniently,  come  the 
carriage  or  wagon-house,  and  of  course  a  stable  for  a 
horse  or  two  for  family  use,  always  accessible  at  night, 
and  convenient  at  unseasonable  hours  for  farm  labor. 
In  the  same  close  neighborhood,  also,  should  be  a  small 
pigsty,  to  accommodate  a  pig  or  two,  to  eat  up  the 
kitchen  slops  from  the  table,  refuse  vegetables,  parings, 
dishwater,  &c,  &c,  which  could  not  well  be  carried  to 
the  main  piggery  of  the  farm,  unless  the  old-fashioned 
filthy  mode  of  letting  the  hogs  run  in  the  road,  and  a 
trough  set  outside  the  door-yard  fence,  as  seen  in  some 
parts  of  the  country,  were  adopted.  A  pig  can  always 
be  kept,  and  fatted  in  three  or  four  months,  from  the 
wasli  of  the  house,  with  a  little  grain,  in  any  well-reg- 
ulated farmer's  family.  A  few  fowls  may  also  be  kept 
in  a  convenient  hen-house,  if  desired,  without  offence — 
all  constituting  a  part  of  the  household  economy  of  the 
place. 

These  out-buildings  too,  give  a  comfortable,  domes- 
tic look  to  the  whole  concern.  Each  one  shelters  and 
protects  the  other,  and  gives  an  air  of  comfort  and 
repose  to  the  whole — a  family  expression  all  round. 
What  so  naked  and  chilling  to  the  feelings,  as  to  see 
a  country  dwelling-house  all  perked  up,  by  itself 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


113 


standing,  literally,  out  of  doors,  without  any  dependen- 
cies about  it?  No,  no.  First  should  stand  the  house, 
the  chief  structure,  in  the  foreground;  appendant  to 
that,  the  kitchen  wing ;  next  in  grade,  the  wood-house ; 
covering  in,  also,  the  minor  offices  of  the  house.  Then 
by  way  of  setting  up,  partially  on  their  own  account, 
should  come  the  workshop,  carriage-house,  and  stable, 
as  practically  having  a  separate  character,  but  still  sub- 
ordinate to  the  house  and  its  requirements ;  and  these 
too,  may  have  their  piggery  and  hen-house,  by  way  of 
tapering  off  to  the  adjoining  fence,  which  encloses  a 
kitchen  garden,  or  family  orchard.  Thus,  each  struc- 
ture is  appropriate  in  its  way  —  and  together,  they 
form  a  combination  grateful  to  the  sight,  as  a  complete 
mral  picture.  All  objections,  on  account  of  filth  or 
vermin,  to  this  connection,  may  be  removed  by  a  cleanly 
keeping  of  the  premises  —  a  removal  of  all  offal  imme- 
diately as  it  is  made,  and  daily  or  weekly  taking  it  on 
to  the  manure  heaps  of  the  barns,  or  depositing  it  at 
once  on  the  grounds  where  it  is  required.  In  point  of 
health,  nothing  is  more  congenial  to  sound  physical 
condition  than  the  occasional  smell  of  a  stable,  or  the 
breath  of  a  cow,  not  within  the  immediate  contiguity 
to  the  occupied  rooms  of  the  dwelling.  On  the  score 
of  neatness,  therefore,  as  we  have  placed  them,  no  bar 
can  be  raised  to  their  adoption. 


114 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


Design  IV. 

This  is  perhaps  a  more  ambitions  house  than  either 
of  the  preceding,  althongh  it  may  he  adapted  to  a 
domain  of  the  same  extent  and  value.  It  is  plain  and 
unpretending  in  appearance;  yet,  in  its  ample  finish, 
and  deeply  drawn,  sheltering  eaves,  broad  veranda, 
and  spacious  out-buildings,  may  give  accommodation 
to  a  larger  family  indulging  a  more  liberal  style  of 
living  than  the  last. 

By  an  error  in  the  engraving,  the  main  roof  of  the 
house  is  made  to  appear  like  a  double,  or  gambrel- 
roof,  breaking  at  the  intersection  of  the  gable,  or  hang- 
ing roof  over  the  ends.  This  is  not  so  intended.  The 
roofs  on  each  side  are  a  straight  line  of  rafters.  The 
Swiss,  or  hanging  style  of  gable-roof  is  designed  to 
give  a  more  sheltered  effect  to  the  elevation  than  to 
run  the  end  walls  to  a  peak  in  the  point  of  the  roof. 

By  a  defect  in  the  drawing,  the  roof  of  the  veranda 
is  not  sufficiently  thrown  over  the  columns.  This  roof 
should  project  at  least  one  foot  beyond  them,  so  as 
to  perfectly  shelter  the  mouldings  beneath  from  the 
weather,  and  conform  to  the  style  of  the  main  roof  of 
the  house. 

The  material  of  which  it  is  built  may  be  of  either 
stone,  brick,  or  wood,  as  the  taste  or  convenience  of 
the  proprietor  may  suggest.  The  main  building  is 
44x36  feet,  on  the  ground.    The  cellar  wall  may  show 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


117 


18  to  24  inches  above  the  ground,  and  be  pierced  by 
windows  in  each  end,  as  shown  in  the  plan.  The 
height  of  the  main  walls  may  be  two  full  stories  below 
the  roof  plates,  or  the  chambers  may  run  a  foot  or  two 
into  the  garret,  at  the  choice  of  the  builder,  either  of 
which  arrangements  may  be  permitted. 

The  front  door  opens  from  a  veranda  28  feet  long  by 
10  feet  in  depth,  dropping  eight  inches  from  the  door- 
sill.  This  veranda  has  a  hipped  roof,  which  juts  over 
the  columns  in  due  proportion  with  the  roof  of  the 
house  over  its  walls.  These  columns  are  plain,  with 
brackets,  or  braces  from  near  their  tops,  sustaining  the 
plate  and  finish  of  the  roof  above,  which  may  be 
covered  either  with  tin  or  zinc,  painted,  or  closely 
shingled. 

The  walls  of  the  house  may  be  18  to  20  feet  high 
below  the  plates ;  the  roof  a  pitch  of  30  to  45°,  which 
will  afford  an  upper  garret,  or  store,  or  small  sleeping 
rooms,  if  required;  and  the  eaves  should  project  two 
to  three  feet,  as  climate  may  demand,  over  the  walls. 
A  plain  finish  —  that  is,  ceiled  underneath  —  is  shown 
in  the  design,  but  brackets  on  the  ends  of  the  rafters, 
beaded  and  finished,  may  be  shown,  if  preferred.  The 
gables  are  Swiss-roofed,  or  truncated,  thus  giving  them 
a  most  sheltered  and  comfortable  appearance,  particu- 
larly in  a  northerly  climate.  The  small  gable  in  front 
relieves  the  roof  of  its  monotony,  and  affords  light  to 
the  central  garret.  The  chimneys  are  carried  out  with 
partition  flues,  and  may  be  topped  with  square  caps, 
as  necessity  or  taste  may  demand. 

Retreating  three  feet  from  the  kitchen  side  of  the 


118 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


house  runs,  at  right  angles,  a  wing  30x18  feet,  one  and 
a  half  stories  high,  with  a  veranda  eight  feet  wide  in 
front.  Next  in  rear  of  this,  continues  a  wood-house, 
30x18  feet,  one  story  high,  with  ten  feet  posts,  and 
open  in  front,  the  ground  level  of  which  is  18  inches 
below  the  floor  of  the  wing  to  which  it  is  attached. 
The  roof  of  these  two  is  of  like  character  with  that  of 
the  main  building. 

Adjoining  this  wood-house,  and  at  right  angles  with 
it,  is  a  building  68x18  feet,  projecting  two  feet  outside 
the  line  of  wood-house  and  kitchen.  This  building  is 
one  and  a  half  stories  high,  with  12  feet  posts,  and  roof 
in  the  same  style  and  of  equal  pitch  as  the  others. 


INTERIOR  ARRANGEMENT. 

The  front  door  from  the  veranda  of  the  house  opens 
into  a  hall,  18x8  feet,  and  11  feet  high,  amply  lighted 
by  sash  windows  on  the  sides,  and  over  the  door.  From 
the  rear  of  this  hall  runs  a  flight  of  easy  stairs,  into  the 
upper  or  chamber  hall.  On  one  side  of  the  lower  hall, 
a  door  leads  into  a  parlor,  18  feet  square,  and  11  feet 
high,  lighted  by  three  windows,  and  warmed  by  an 
open  stove,  or  fireplace,  the  pipe  passing  into  a  chim- 
ney flue  in  the  rear.  A  door  passes  from  this  parlor 
into  a  rear  passage,  or  entry,  thus  giving  it  access  to 
the  kitchen  and  rear  apartments.  At  the  back  end  of 
the  front  hall,  a  door  leads  into  the  rear  passage  and 
kitchen;  and  on  the  side  opposite  the  parlor,  a  door 
opens  into  the  sitting  or  family  room,  18x16  feet  in 


BURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


119 


area,  having  an  open  fireplace,  and  three  windows.  On 
the  hall  side  of  this  room,  a  door  passes  into  the 
kitchen,  22x16  feet,  and  which  may,  in  case  the  re- 
quirements of  the  family  demand  it,  be  made  the 
chief  family  or  living  room,  and  the  last  one  described 
converted  into  a  library.    In  this  kitchen,  which  ia 


GROUND  PLAN. 


2CIX 

H     18  X6 

ILL 

PIG 

20  "H3 

WORK  S 

WACCON  H 

1 

J 

SWILL  ROOM 

(8  X  12 

13  X  18 

STABLE 

12  XI  8 

W.  H 


in  xi3 


~  ~7 

B  X  l<3  ' 


5  FORCH 
I  i  -   « 


130 


BUBAL  ARCIIITECTUKE- 


CHAMBER  PLAN. 


lighted  by  two  windows,  is  a  liberal  open  fireplace,  with 
an  ample  oven  by  its  side,  and  a  sink  in  the  outer  cor- 
ner. A  flight  of  stairs,  also,  leads  to  the  rear  chambers 
above  ;  and  a  corresponding  flight,  under  them,  to  th£ 
cellar  below.  A  door  at  each  end  of  these  stairs,  leads 
into  the  back  entry  of  the  house,  and  thus  to  the  other 
interior  rooms,  or  through  the  rear  outer  door  to  the 
back  porch.  This  back  entry  is  lighted  by  a  single 
sash  window  over  the  outside  door  leading  to  the  porch. 
Another  door,  opposite  that  leading  down  cellar,  opens 
into  the  passage  through  the  wing.  From  the  rear 
hall,  which  is  16x5  feet,  the  innermost  passage  leads 
into  a  family  bedroom,  or  nursery,  16x14  feet,  lighted 
by  a  window  in  each  outside  wall,  and  warmed  by  an 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


121 


open  fireplace,  or  stove,  at  pleasure.  Attached  to  this 
bedroom  is  a  clothes-closet,  8x4  feet,  with  shelves,  and 
drawers.  Next  the  outer  door,  in  rear  end  of  the  hall, 
;s  a  small  closet  opening  from  it,  6x4  feet  in  dimen- 
sions, convertible  to  any  use  which  the  mistress  of  the 
house  may  direct. 

Opening  into  the  wing  from  the  kitchen,  first,  is  a 
large  closet  and  pantry,  supplied  with  a  table,  drawers, 
and  shelves,  in  whia  are  stored  the  dishes,  table  fur- 
niture, and  edibles  necessary  to  be  kept  at  a  moment's 
access.  This  room  is  14x8  feet,  and  well  lighted  by  a 
window  of  convenient  size.  If  necessary,  this  room 
may  have  a  partition,  shutting  off  a  part  from  the 
everyday  uses  which  the  family  requires.  In  this 
room,  so  near  to  the  kitchen,  to  the  sink,  to  hot- water, 
and  the  other  little  domestic  accessories  which  good 
housewives  know  so  well  how  to  arrange  and  appre- 
ciate, all  the  nice  little  table-comforts  can  be  got  up, 
and  perfected,  and  stored  away,  under  lock  and  key,  in 
drawer,  tub,  or  jar,  at  their  discretion,  and  still  their 
eyes  not  be  away  from  their  subordinates  in  the  other 
departments.  Next  to  this,  and  connected  by  a  door, 
is  the  dairy,  or  milk-room,  also  14x8  feet;  which,  if 
necessary,  may  be  sunk  three  or  four  feet  into  the 
ground,  for  additional  coolness  in  the  summer  season, 
and  the  floor  reached  by  steps.  In  this  are  ample 
shelves  for  the  milkpans,  conveniences  of  churning, 
&c,  &c.  But,  if  the  dairy  be  a  prominent  object  of 
the  farm,  a  separate  establishment  will  be  required, 
and  the  excavation  may  not  be  necessary  for  ordinary 
household  uses.    Out  of  this  milk-room,  a  door  leads 


122 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE* 


into  a  wash-room,  18x14  feet.  A  passage  from  the 
kitchen  also  leads  into  this.  The  wash-room  is  lighted 
by  two  windows  in  rear,  and  one  in  front.  A  sink  is 
between  the  two  rear  windows,  with  conductor  leading 
outside,  and  a  closet  beneath  it,  for  the  iron  ware.  In 
the  chimney,  at  the  end,  are  boilers,  and  a  fireplace, 
an  oven,  or  anything  else  required,  and  a  door  leading 
to  a  platform  in  the  wood-house,  and  so  into  the  yard. 
On  the  other  side  of  the  chimney,  a  door  leads  into  a 
bathing-room,  7x6  feet,  into  which  hot  water  is  drawn 
from  one  of  the  boilers  adjoining,  and  cold  water  may 
be  introduced,  by  a  hand-pump,  through  a  pipe  leading 
into  the  well  or  cistern. 

As  no  more  convenient  opportunity  may  present  it- 
self, a  word  or  two  will  be  suggested  as  to  the  location 
of  the  bath-room  in  a  country  house.  In  city  houses, 
or  country  houses  designed  for  the  summer  occupancy 
of  city  dwellers,  the  bathing-rooms  are  usually  placed 
in  the  second  or  chamber  story,  and  the  water  for  their 
supply  is  drawn  from  cisterns  still  above  them.  This 
arrangement,  in  city  houses,  is  made  chiefly  from  the 
want  of  room  on  the  ground  floor ;  and,  also,  thus  ar- 
ranged in  the  city-country  houses,  hecause  they  are  so 
constructed  in  the  city.  In  the  farm  house,  or  in  the 
country  house  proper,  occupied  by  whom  it  may  be, 
such  arrangement  is  unnecessary,  expensive,  and  in- 
convenient. Unnecessary,  because  there  is  no  want  of. 
room  on  the  ground ;  expensive,  because  an  upper  cis- 
tern is  always  liable  to  leakages,  and  a  consequent 
wastage  of  water,  wetting,  and  rotting  out  the  floors, 
and  all  the  slopping  and  dripping  which  such  accidents 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


123 


occasion ;  and  inconvenient,  from  the  continual  up- 
and-down:stair  labor  of  those  who  occupy  the  bath,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  piercing  the  walls  of  the  house,  for 
the  admission  of  pipes  to  lead  in  and  let  out  the  water, 
and  the  thousand-and-one  vexations,  by  way  of  plum- 
bers' bills,  and  expense  of  getting  to  and  from  the 
house  itself,  always  a  distance  of  some  miles  from  the 
mechanic. 

The  only  defence  for  such  location  of  the  bath-room 
and  cisterns  is,  the  convenience  and  privacy  of  access 
to  them,  by  the  females  of  the  family.  This  counts 
but  little,  if  anything,  over  the  place  appropriated  in 
this,  and  the  succeeding  designs  of  this  work.  The  ac- 
cess is  almost,  if  not  quite  as  private  as  the  other,  and, 
in  case  of  ill-health,  as  easily  approachable  to  invalids. 
And  on  the  score  of  economy  in  construction,  repair, 
or  accident,  the  plan  here  adopted  is  altogether  prefer- 
able. In  this  plan,  the  water  is  drawn  from  the  boiler 
by  the  turning  of  a  cock  ;  that  from  the  cistern,  by  a 
minute's  labor  with  the  hand-pump.  It  is  let  off  by 
the  drawing  of  a  plug,  and  discharges,  by  a  short  pipe, 
into  the  adjoining  garden,  or  grassplat,  to  moisten  and 
invigorate  the  trees  and  plants  which  require  it,  and 
the  whole  affair  is  clean  and  sweet  again.  A  screen 
for  the  window  gives  all  the  privacy  required,  and  the 
most  fastidious,  shrinking  female  is  as  retired  as  in  the 
shadiest  nook  of  her  dressing-room. 

So  with  water-closets.  A  fashion  prevails  of  thrust- 
ing these  noisome  things  into  the  midst  of  sleeping 
chambers  and  living  rooms  —  pandering  to  effemi- 
nacy, and,  at  times,  surcharging  the  house  —  for  they 


124 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


cannot,  at  all  times,  and  under  all  circumstances,  be 
kept  perfectly  close  —  with  their  offensive  odor.  Out 
of  the  house  they  belong;  and  if  they,  by  aiiy  means, 
find  their  way  within  its  walls  proper,  the  fault  will  not 
be  laid  at  our  door. 

To  get  back  to  our  description.  This  bathing-room 
occupies  a  corner  of  the  wood-house. 

A  raised  platform  passes  from  the  wash-room  in. 
past  the  bath-room,  to  a  water-closet,  which  may  be 
divided  into  two  apartments,  if  desirable.  The  vaults 
are  accessible  from  the  rear,  for  cleaning  out,  or  intro- 
ducing lime,  gypsum,  powdered  charcoal,  or  other 
deodorizing  material.  At  the  extreme  corner  of  the 
wood-house,  a  door  opens  into  a  feed  and  swill-room, 
20x8  feet,  which  is  reached  by  steps,  and  stands  quite 
eighteen  inches  above  the  ground  level,  0:1  a  stone 
under-pinning,  or  with  a  stone  cellar  beneath,  for 
the  storage  of  roots  in  winter.  In  one  corner  of  this 
is  a  boiler  and  chimney,  for  cooking  food  for  the  pigs 
and  chickens.  A  door  leads  from  this  room  into  the 
piggery,  20x12  feet,  where  half-a-dozen  swine  may  be 
kept.  A  cloor  leads  from  this  pen  into  a  yard,  in  the 
rear,  where  they  will  be  less  offensive  than  if  confined 
within.  If  necessary,  a  flight  of  steps,  leading  to  the 
loft  overhead,  may  be  built,  where  corn  can  be  stored 
for  their  feeding. 

Next  to  this  is  the  workshop  and  tool-house,  18x14 
feet ;  and,  in  rear,  a  snug,  warm  house  for  the  family 
chickens,  18x6  feet.  These  chickens  may  also  have 
the  run  of  the  yard  in  rear,  with  the  pigs,  and  apart- 
ments in  the  loft  overhead  for  roosting. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


125 


Adjoining  the  workshop  is  the  carriage-house,  18x18 
feet,  with  a  flight  of  stairs  to  the  hayloft  above,  in 
ivhich  is,  also,  a  dovecote ;  and,  leading  out  of  the  car- 
nage floor,  is  the  stable,  18x12  feet,  with  stalls  for  two 
->r  four  horses,  and  a  passage  of  four  feet  wide,  from 
the  carriage-house  into  it ;  thus  completing,  and  draw- 
ing under  one  continuous  roof,  and  at  less  exposure 
than  if  separated,  the  chief  every-day  requirements  of 
living,  to  a  well-arranged  and  highly-respectable  family. 

The  chamber  plan  of  the  dwelling  will  be  readily 
understood  by  reference  to  its  arrangement.  There  are 
a  sufficiency  of  closets  for  all  purposes,  and  the  whole 
are  accessible  from  either  flight  of  stairs.  The  rooms 
over  the  wing,  of  course,  should  be  devoted  to  the  male 
domestics  of  the  family,  work-people,  &c. 


SURROUNDING   PLANTATIONS,  SHRUBBERY,  WALKS,  ETC. 

After  the  general  remarks  made  in  the  preceding 
pages,  no  particular  instructions  can  be  given  for  the 
manner  in  which  this  residence  should  be  embellished 
in  its  trees  and  shrubbery.  The  large  forest  trees, 
always  grand,  graceful,  and  appropriate,  would  become 
such  a  house,  throwing  a  protecting  air  around  and 
over  its  quiet,  unpretending  roof.  Vines,  or  climbing 
roses,  might  throw  their  delicate  spray  around  the 
columns  of  the  modest  veranda,  and  a  varied  selection 
of  familiar  shrubbery  and  ornamental  plants  checker 
the  immediate  front  and  sides  of  the  house  looking 
out  upon  the  lawn ;  through  which  a  spacious  walk,  or 


126 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


carriage-way  should  wind,  from  the  high  road,  01  chief 
approach. 

There  are,  however,  so  many  objects  to  be  consulted 
in  the  various  sites  of  houses,  that  no  one  rule  can  be 
laid  down  for  individual  guidance.  The  surface  of  the 
ground  immediately  adjoining  the  house  must  be  con- 
sidered ;  the  position  of  the  house,  as  it  is  viewed  from 
surrounding  objects ;  its  altitude,  or  depression,  as 
affected  by  the  adjacent  lands  ;  its  command  upon  sur- 
rounding near,  or  distant  objects,  in  the  way  of  pros- 
pect; the  presence  of  water,  either  in  stream,  pond,  or 
lake,  far  or  near,  or  the  absence  of  water  altogether — 
all  these  enter  immediately  into  the  manner  in  which 
the  lawn  of  a  house  should  be  laid  out,  and  worked 
and  planted.  But  as  a  rule,  all  filagree  work,  such  as 
serpentine  paths,  and  tortuous,  unmeaning  circles,  arti 
ficial  piles  of  rock,  and  a  multitude  of  small  orna- 
ments—  so  esteemed,  by  some  —  should  never  be  intro- 
duced into  the  lawn  of  a  farm  house.  It  is  unmeaning, 
in  the  first  place ;  expensive  in  its  care,  in  the  second 
place;  unsatisfactory  and  annoying  altogether.  Such 
things  about  a  farm  establishment  are  neither  dignified 
nor  useful,  and  should  be  left  to  towirs-people,  having 
but  a  stinted  appreciation  of  what  constitutes  natural 
beauty,  and  wanting  to  make  the  most  of  the  limited, 
piece  of  ground  of  which  they  are  possessed. 

]STor  would  we  shut  out,  by  these  remarks,  the  beauty 
and  odor  of  the  flower-borders,  which  are  so  appropri- 
ately the  care  of  the  good  matron  of  the  household  and 
her  comely  daughters.  To  them  may  be  devoted  a 
well-dug  plat  beneath  the  windows,  or  in  the  garden 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


127 


Enough,  and  to  spare,  they  should  always  have,  oi 
such  cheerful,  life-giving  pleasures.  We  only  object  to 
their  being  strewed  all  over  the  ground, —  a  tussoc  of 
plant  here,  a  patch  of  posey  there,  and  a  scattering  of 
both  everywhere,  without  either  system  or  meaning. 
They  lower  the  dignity  and  simplicity  of  the  country 
dwelling  altogether. 

The  business  approach  to  this  house  is,  of  course, 
toward  the  stables  and  carriage-house,  and  from  them 
should  lead  off  the  main  farm-avenue. 

The  kitchen  garden,  if  possible,  should  lie  on  the 
kitchen  side  of  the  house,  wrhere,  also,  should  be  placed 
the  bee-house,  in  full  sight  from  the  windows,  that 
their  labors  and  swarming  may  be  watched.  In  fact, 
the  entire  economy  of  the  farm  house,  and  its  append- 
ages, should  be  brought  close  under  the  eye  of  the 
household,  to  engage  their  care  and  watchfulness,  and 
to  interest  them  in  all  the  little  associations  and  endear- 
ments—  and  they  are  many,  when  properly  studied 
out — which  go  to  make  agricultural  life  one  of  the 
most  agreeable  pursuits,  if  not  altogether  so,  in  which 
our  lot  in  life  may  be  cast. 

A  fruit  garden,  too,  should  be  a  prominent  object 
near  this  house.  We  are  now  advancing  somewhat 
into  the  elegances  of  agricultural  life ;  and  although 
fruit  trees,  and  good  fruits  too,  should  hold  a  strong 
place  in  the  surroundings  of  even  the  humblest  of  all 
country  places  —  -  sufficient,  at  least,  for  the  ample  use 
of  the  family  —  they  have  not  yet  been  noticed,  to  any 
extent,  in  those  already  described.  It  may  be  remark- 
ed,  that  the  ivmt-garden —  the  orchard,  for  market 


S28 


RURAL  ARCH  ITECTURE . 


purposes,  is  not  here  intended  —  should  be  placed  in 
near  proximity  to  the  house.  All  the  small  fruits,  for 
household  use,  such  as  strawberries,  raspberries,  cur- 
rants, gooseberries,  blackberries,  grapes,  as  well  as 
apricots,  plums,  nectarines,  peaches,  pears,  apples, 
quinces,  or  whatever  fruits  may  be  cultivated,  in  dif- 
ferent localities,  should  be  close  by,  for  the  convenience 
of  collecting  them,  and  to  protect  them  from  destruc- 
tion by  vermin,  birds,  or  the  depredations  of  creatures 
called  human. 

A  decided  plan  of  arrangement  for  all  the  planta- 
tions and  grounds,  should  enter  into  the  composition  of 
the  site  for  the  dwelling,  out-houses,  gardens,  &c,  as 
they  are  to  appear  when  the  whole  establishment  is 
completed ;  and  nothing  left  to  accident,  chance,  or 
after-thought,  which  can  be  disposed  of  at  the  com- 
mencement. By  the  adoption  of  such  a  course,  the 
entire  composition  is  more  easily  perfected,  and  with 
infinitely  greater  expression  of  character,  than  if  left 
to  the  chance  designs,  or  accidental  demands  of  the 
future. 

Another  feature  should  be  strictly  enforced,  in  the 
outward  appointments  of  the  farm  house, —  and  that 
is,  the  entire  withdrawal  of  any  use  of  the  highway 
in  its  occupation  by  the  stock  of  the  farm,  except  in 
leading  them  to  and  from  its  enclosures.  Nothing 
looks  more  slovenly,  and  nothing  can  be  more  un- 
thrifty, in  an  enclosed  country,  than  the  running  of 
farm  stock  in  the  highway.  What  so  untidy  as  the 
approach  to  a  house,  with  a  herd  of  filthy  hogs  root- 
ing about  the  fences,  tasking  along  the  sidewalk,  or 


.rtTTRAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


129 


feeding  at  a  huge,  uncouth,  hollowed  log,  in  the  road 
near  the  dwelling  It  may  be  out  of  place  here  to 
speak  of  it,  but  this  disgusting  spectacle  has  so  often 
offended  our  sight,  at  the  approach  of  an  otherwise 
pleasant  farm  establishment,  that  we  cannot  forego  the 
opportunity  to  speak  of  it.  The  road  lying  in  front, 
or  between  the  different  sections  of  the  farm,  should 
be  as  well,  and  as  cleanly  kept  as  any  portion  of  the 
enclosures,  and  it  is  equally  a  sin  against  good  taste 
and  neighborhood-morality,  to  have  it  otherwise. 


TKEE-PLANTING  IN  THE  HIGHWAY. 

This  is  frequently  recommended  by  writers  on  coun- 
try embellishment,  as  indispensable  to  a  finished  deco- 
ration of  the  farm.  Such  may,  or  may  not  be  the  fact. 
Trees  shade  the  roads,  when  planted  on  their  sides, 
and  so  they  partially  do  the  fields  adjoining,  making 
the  first  muddy,  in  bad  weather,  by  preventing  the  sun 
drying  them,  and  shading  the  crops  of  the  last  by  their 
overhanging  foliage,  in  the  season  of  their  growth. 
Thus  they  are  an  evil,  in  moist  and  heavy  soils.  Yet, 
in  light  soils,  their  shade  is  grateful  to  the  highway 
traveler,  and  not,  perhaps,  injurious  to  the  crops  of  the 
adjoining  field;  and  when  of  proper  kinds,  they  add 
grace  and  beauty  to  the  domain  in  which  they  stand, 


130 


RU.RAJL.  ARCHITECTURE. 


We  do  not,  therefore,  indiscriminately  recommend 
them,  but  leave  it  to  the  discretion  of  the  farmer,  to 
decide  for  himself,  having  seen  estates  equally  pleas- 
ant with,  and  without  trees  on  the  roadside.  Nothing, 
however,  can  be  more  beautiful  than  a  clump  of  trees 
in  a  pasture-ground,  with  a  herd,  or  a  flock  beneath 
them,  near  the  road ;  or  the  grand  and  overshadowing 
branches  of  stately  tree,  in  a  rich  meadow,  leaning, 
perhaps,  over  the  highway  fence,  or  flourishing  in  its 
solitary  grandeur,  in  the  distance  —  each,  and  all, 
imposing  features  in  the  rural  landscape.  All  such 
should  be  preserved,  with  the  greatest  care  and  so- 
licitude, as  among  the  highest  and  most  attractive 
ornaments  whiah  the  farm  can  boast, 


f- 


BUBAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


133 


Design  V. 


We  here  present  a  dwelling  of  a  more  ambitious  and 
pretending  character  than  any  one  which  we  have,  as 
yet,  described,  and  calculated  for  a  large  and  wealthy 
farmer,  who  indulges  in  the  elegances  of  country  life, 
dispenses  a  liberal  hospitality,  and  is  every  wray  a 
country  gentleman,  such  as  all  our  farmers  of  ample 
means  should  be.  It  will  answer  the  demands  of  the 
retired  man  of  business  as  well ;  and  is,  perhaps,  as 
full  in  its  various  accommodation  as  an  American  farm 
or  country  house  may  require.  It  claims  no  distinct 
style  of  architecture,  but  is  a  composition  agreeable  in 
effect,  and  appropriate  to  almost  any  part  of  the  coun- 
try, and  its  climate.  Its  site  may  be  on  either  hill  or 
plain — with  a  view  extensive,  or  restricted.  It  may 
look  out  over  broad  savannas,  cultivated  fields,  and 
shining  waters;  it  may  nestle  amid  its  own  quiet  woods 
and  lawn  in  its  own  selected  shade  and  retirement,  or 
lord  it  over  an  extensive  park,  ranged  by  herds  and 
flocks,  meandered  by  its  own  stream,  spreading  anon 
into  the  placid  lake,  or  rushing  swiftly  over  its  own 
narrow  bed — an  independent,  substantial,  convenient, 
and  well  conditioned  home,  standing  upon  its  own  broad 
acres,  and  comporting  with  the  character  and  standing 
of  its  occupant,  among  his  friends  and  neighbors- 


134 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


The  main  building  is  50x40  feet  in  area  upon  the 
ground,  two  stories  high ;  the  ground  story  11  feet  high, 
its  floor  elevated  2i  or  3  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
surrounding  surface,  as  its  position  may  demand ;  the 
chambers  9  feet  high,  and  running  2  feet  into  the  roof. 
The  rear  wing  is  one  and  a  half  stories  high,  36x16 
feet ;  the  lower  rooms  11  feet  high,  with  a  one  story 
lean-to  range  of  closets,  and  small  rooms  on  the  weather 
side,  8  feet  in  width  and  9  feet  high.  In  the  rear  of 
these  is  a  wood-house,  30x20  feet,  with  10  feet  posts, 
dropped  to  a  level  with  the  ground.  At  the  extremity 
of  this  is  a  building,  by  way  of  an  L,  60x20  feet,  one 
and  a  half  stories  high,  with  a  lean-to,  12x30  feet,  in 
the  rear.  The  ground  rooms  of  this  are  elevated  U 
feet  above  the  ground,  and  9  feet  high.  A  broad  roof 
covers  the  whole,  standing  at  an  angle  of  40  or  45° 
above  a  horizontal  line,  and  projecting  widely  over  the 
walls,  2i  to  3  feet  on  the  main  building,  and  2  feet 
on  the  others,  to  shelter  them  perfectly  from  the  storms 
and  damps  of  the  wreather.  A  small  cupola  stands  out 
of  the  ridge  of  the  rear  building,  which  may  serve  as 
a  ventilator  to  the  apartments  and  lofts  below,  and  in 
it  may  be  hung  a  bell,  to  summon  the  household,  or 
the  field  laborers,  as  the  case  may  be,  to  their  duties 
or  their  meals. 

The  design,  as  here  shown,  is  rather  florid,  and  per- 
haps profusely  ornamental  in  its  finish,  as  comporting 
with  the  taste  of  the  day:  but  the  cut  and  moulded 
trimmings  may  be  left  off  by  those  who  prefer  a  plain 
finish,  and  be  no  detriment  to  the  general  effect  which 
the  deep  friezes  of  the  roofs,  properly  cased  beneath, 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE, 


135 


may  give  to  it.  Suet,  indeed,  is  our  own  taste;  but 
this  full  finish  has  been  added,  to  gratify  such  as  wish 
the  full  ornament  which  this  style  of  building  may 
admit. 

INTERIOR  ARRANGEMENT. 

The  front  of  this  house  is  accommodated  by  a  porch, 
or  veranda,  40  feet  long,  and  10  feet  wide,  v/ith  a 
central,  or  entrance  projection  of  18  feet  in  length,  and 
12  feet  in  width,  the  floor  of  which  is  eight  inches 
below  the  main  floor  of  the  house.  The  wings,  or 
sides  of  this  veranda  may  be  so  fitted  up  as  to  allow  a 
pleasant  conservatory  on  each  side  of  the  entrance  area 
in  winter,  by  enclosing  them  with  glass  windows,  and 
the  introduction  of  heat  from  a  furnace  under  the  main 
hall,  in  the  cellar  of  the  house.  This  would  add  to  its 
general  effect  in  winter,  and,  if  continued  through  the 
summer,  would  not  detract  from  its  expression  of  dig- 
nity and  refinement.  From  the  veranda,  a  door  in 
the  center  of  the  front,  with  two  side  windows,  leads 
into  the  main  hall,  which  is  26x12  feet  in  area,  two 
feet  in  the  width  of  which  is  taken  from  the  rooms  on 
the  right  of  the  main  entrance.  On  the  left  of  the  hall 
a  door  opens  into  a  parlor  or  drawing-room,  marked  P, 
20  feet  square,  with  a  bay  window  on  one  side,  con- 
taining three  sashes,  and  seats  beneath.  A  single 
window  lights  the  front  opening  on  to  the  veranda. 
On  the  opposite  side  to  this  is  the  fireplace,  with  blank 
walls  on  each  side.    On  the  opposite  side  of  the  hall  is 

a  library,  18x16  feet,  with  an  end  window,  and  a 
6* 


YARD 


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20  X  16 


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RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


137 


corresponding  one  to  the  parlor,  in  front,  looking  out 
on  the  veranda.  In  case  these  portions  of  the  veranda, 
opposite  the  two  front  windows  are  occupied  as  conser- 
vatories, these  windows  should  open  to  the  floor,  to 
admit  a  w^alk  immediately  into  them.  At  the  farther 
corner  of  the  library  a  narrow  door  leads  into  an  office, 
or  business  apartment,  12x8  feet,  and  opening  by  a 
broad  door,  the  upper  half  of  which  is  a  lighted  sash. 
This  door  leads  from  the  office  out  on  a  small  porch, 
with  a  floor  and  two  columns,  8x5  feet,  and  nine  feet 
high,  with  a  gable  and  double  roof  of  the  same  pitch 
as  the  house.  Between  the  chimney  flues,  in  the  rear 
of  this  room  may  be  placed  an  iron  safe,  or  chest  for 
the  deposit  of  valuable  papers ;  and,  although  small,  a 
table  and  chairs  sufficient  to  accommodate  the  business 
requirements  of  the  occupant,  may  be  kept  in  it.  A 
chimney  stands  in  the  center  of  the  inner  wall  of  the 
library,  in  which  may  be  a  fireplace,  or  a  flue  to 
receive  a  stovepipe,  whichever  may  be  preferred  for 
warming  the  room. 

K"ear  the  hall  side  of  the  library  a  door  opens  into  a 
passage  leading  into  the  family  bedroom,  or  nursery. 
A  portion  of  this  passage  may  be  shelved  and  fitted  up 
as  a  closet  for  any  convenient  purpose.  The  nursery 
is  18x16  feet  in  size,  lighted  by  two  windows.  It  may 
have  an  open  fireplace,  or  a  stove,  as  preferred,  let 
into  the  chimney,  corresponding  to  that  in  the  library. 
These  two  chimneys  may  either  be  drawn  together  in 
the  chambers  immediately  above,  or  carried  up  sepa- 
rately into  the  garret,  and  pass  out  of  the  roof  in  one 
sta-k,  or  they  may  be  built  in  one  solid  mass  from  the 


138 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


cellar  bottom ;  but  they  are  so  placed  here,  as  saving 
room  on  the  floors,  and  equally  accommodating,  in 
their  separate  divisions,  the  stovepipes  that  may  lead 
into  them.  On  the  inner  side  of  the  nursery,  a  door 
leads  into  a  large  closet,  or  child's  sleeping-room,  9x8 
feet;  or  it  maybe  used  as  a  dressing-room,  with  a 
sash  inserted  in  the  door  to  light  it.  A  door  may  also 
lead  from  it  into  the  small  rear  entry  of  the  house,  and 
thus  pass  directly  out,  without  communicating  with  the 
nursery.  On  the  extreme  left  corner  of  the  nursery  is 
a  door  leading  into  the  back  entry,  by  which  it  com- 
municates either  with  the  rear  porch,  the  dining-room, 
or  the  kitchen.  Such  a  room  we  consider  indispensable 
to  the  proper  accommodation  of  a  house  in  the  country, 
as  saving  a  world  of  up-and-down-stairs'  labor  to  her 
who  is  usually  charged  with  the  domestic  cares  and 
supervision  of  the  family. 

On  the  right  of  the  main  hall  an  ample  staircase 
leads  into  the  upper  hall  by  a  landing  and  broad  stair 
at  eight  feet  above  the  floor,  and  a  right-angled  flight 
from  that  to  the  main  floor  above.  Under  this  main 
hall  staircase,  a  door  and  stairs  may  lead  into  the  cellar. 
Beyond  the  turning  flight  below,  a  door  leads  into  the 
back  hall,  or  entry,  already  mentioned,  which  is  13x4 
feet  in  area,  which  also  has  a  side  passage  of  8x4  feet, 
and  a  door  leading  to  the  rear  porch,  and  another 
into  the  kitchen  at  its  farther  side,  near  the  outer  one. 
Opposite  the  turning  flight  of  stairs,  in  the  main  hall, 
is  also  a  door  leading  to  the  dining-room,  20x16  feet. 
This  is  lighted  by  a  large  double  window  at  the  end. 
A  fireplace,  or  stove  flue  is  in  the  center  wall,  and  on 


BTTKAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


139 


each  side  a  closet  for  plate,  or  table  furniture.  These 
closets  come  out  flush  with  the  chimney.  At  the 
extreme  right  corner  a  door  leads  into  the  rear  entry  — 
or  this  may  be  omitted,  at  pleasure.  Another  door 
in  the  rear  wall  leads  into  the  kitchen,  past  the  passage 
down  into  the  cellar — or  this  may  be  omitted,  if 
thought  best.  Still  another  door  to  the  left,  opens  into 
a  large  dining  closet  of  the  back  lean-to  apartment-, 
8x8  feet.  This  closet  is  lighted  by  a  window  of  proper 
architectural  size,  and  fitted  up  with  a  suite  of  drawers, 
shelves,  table,  and  cupboards,  required  for  the  prepar- 
ation and  deposit  of  the  lighter  family  stores  and  edi- 
bles. From  this  closet  is  also  a  door  leading  into  the 
kitchen,  through  which  may  be  passed  all  the  meats 
and  cookery  for  the  table,  either  for  safe-keeping, 
or  immediate  service.  Here  the  thrifty  and  careful 
housekeeper  and  her  assistants  may,  shut  apart,  and 
by  themselves,  get  up,  fabricate,  and  arrange  all  their 
table  delicacies  with  the  greatest  convenience  and  pri- 
vacy, together  with  ease  of  access  either  to  the  dining- 
room  or  kitchen  —  an  apartment  most  necessary  in  a 
liberally-arranged  establishment. 

From  the  rear  entry  opens  a  door  to  the  kitchen, 
passing  by  the  rear  chamber  stairs.  This  flight  of 
stairs  may  be  entered  directly  from  the  kitchen,  lead- 
ing either  to  the  chamber,  or  under  them,  into  the 
cellar,  without  coming  into  the  passage  connecting 
wTith  the  entry  or  dining-room,  if  preferred.  In  such 
case,  a  broad  stair  of  thirty  inches  in  width  should 
be  next  the  door,  on  which  to  turn,  as  the  door  would 
be  at  right  angles  with  the  stairs,  either  up  or  dowix 


140 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


The  kitchen  is  20x16  feet,  and  11  feet  high.  It  haa 
an  outer  cloor  leading  on  the  rear  porch,  and  a  win- 
dow on  each  side  of  that  door ;  also  a  window,  under 
which  is  a  sink,  on  the  opposite  side,  at  the  end  of  a 
passage  four  feet  wide,  leading  through  the  lean-to. 
It  has  also  an  open  fireplace,  and  an  oven  by  the  side 
of  it  —  old  fashion.  It  may  be  also  furnished  with  a 
cooking  range,  or  stove — the  smoke  and  fumes  leading 
by  a  pipe  into  a  flue  into  the  chimney.  On  the  lean-to 
side  is  a  milk  or  dairy-room,  8x8  feet,  lighted  by  a 
window.  Here  also  the  kitchen  furniture  and  meats 
may  be  stored  in  cupboards  made  for  the  purpose.  In 
rear  of  the  kitchen,  and  leading  from  it  by  a  door 
through  a  lighted  passage  next  the  rear  porch,  is  the 
wash-room,  16x16  feet,  lighted  by  a  large  window 
from  the  porch  side.  A  door  also  leads  out  of  the  rear 
on  to  a  platform  into  the  wood-house.  Another  door 
leads  from  the  wash-room  into  a  bath-room  in  the  lean- 
to  8x8  feet,  into  which  warm  water  is  drawn  by  a 
pipe  and  pump  from  the  boiler  in  the  wash-room ;  or, 
if  preferred,  the  bath-room  may  be  entered  from  the 
main  kitchen,  by  the  passage  next  the  sink.  This  bath- 
room is  lighted  by  a  window.  Next  to  the  bath-room 
is  a  bedroom  for  a  man  servant  who  has  charge  of  the 
fires,  and  heavy  house-work,  wood,  &c,  &c.  This 
bedroom  is  also  8x8  feet,  and  lighted  by  a  window  in 
the  lean-to.  In  front  of  this  wash-room  and  kitchen  is 
a  porch,  eight  inches  below  the  floor,  six  feet  wide, 
with  a  railing,  or  not,  as  may  be  preferred.  (The 
railing  is  made  in  the  cut.)  A  platform,  three  feet 
wide,  leads  from  the  back  door  of  the  wash-room  to  a 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


141 


water-closet  for  the  family  proper.  The  wood-house  is 
open  in  front,  with  a  single  post  supporting  the  center 
of  the  roof.  At  the  extreme  outer  angle  is  a  water- 
closet  for  the  domestics  of  the  establishment. 

Adjoining  the  wood-house,  and  opening  from  it  into 
the  L  before  mentioned,  is  a  workshop,  and  small-tool- 
house,  20x16  feet,  lighted  by  a  large  double  window 
at  one  end.  In  this  should  be  a  carpenters  work- 
bench and  tool-chest,  for  the  repairs  of  the  farming 
fttensils  and  vehicles.  Overhead  is  a  store-room  for 
lumber,  or  whatever  else  may  be  necessary  for  use  in 
that  capacity.  Next  to  this  is  a  granary  or  feed-room, 
20x10  feet,  with  a  small  chimney  in  one  corner,  where 
may  be  placed  a  boiler  to  cook  food  for  pigs,  poultry, 
&c,  as  the  case  may  be.  Here  may  also  be  bins  for 
storage  of  grain  and  meal.  Leading  out  of  this  is  a 
flight  of  stairs  passing  to  the  chamber  above,  and  a 
passage  four  feet  wide,  through  the  rear,  into  a  yard 
adjoining.  At  the  further  end  of  the  stairs  a  door 
opens  into  a  poultry  house,  16x10  feet,  including  the 
stairs.  The  poultry  room  is  lighted%at  the  extreme  left 
corner,  by  a  broad  window.  In  this  may  be  made 
roosts,  and  nesting  places,  and  feeding  troughs.  A  low 
door  under  the  window  may  be  also  made  for  the  fowls 
in  passing  to  the  rear  yard.  Adjoining  the  granary, 
and  leading  to  it  by  a  door,  is  the  carriage-house, 
20x20  feet,  at  the  gable  end  of  which  are  large  doors 
for  entrance.  From  the  carriage-house  is  a  broad 
passage  of  six  feet,  into  the  stables,  which  are  12  feet 
wide,  and  occupy  the  lean-to.  This  lean-to  is  eight 
feet  high  below  the  eaves,  with  two  double  stalls  for 


142 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


horses,  and  a  door  leading  into  the  side  yard,  with  the 
doors  of  the  carriage-house.  A  window  also  lights  the 
rear  of  the  stables.  A  piggery  12  feet  square  occupies 
the  remainder  of  the  lean-to  in  rear  of  the  poultry- 
house,  in  which  two  or  three  pigs  can  always  be  kept, 
and  fatted  on  the  offal  of  the  house,  for  small  pork,  at 
any  season,  apart  from  the  swine  stock  of  the  farm. 
A  door  leads  out  of  the  piggery  into  the  rear  yard, 
where  range  also  the  poultry.  As  the  shed  roof  shuts 
down  on  to  the  pigsty  and  stables,  no  loft  above  them 
is  necessary.  In  the  loft  over  the  granary,  poultry, 
and  carriage-house  is  deposited  the  hay,  put  in  there 
through  the  doors  which  appear  in  the  design. 

Chamber  Plan. — This  is  easily  understood.  At 
the  head  of  the  stairs,  over  the  main  hall,  is  a  large 
passage  leading  to  the  porch,  and  opening  by  a  door- 
window  on  the  middle  deck  of  the  veranda,  which 
is  nearly  level,  and  tinned,  or  coppered,  water-tight,  as 
are  also  the  two  sides.  On  either  side  of  this  upper 
hall  is  a  door  leading  to  the  front  sleeping  chambers, 
which  are  well  closeted,  and  spacious.  If  it  be  desira- 
ble to  construct  more  sleeping-rooms,  they  can  be  par- 
titioned laterally  from  the  hall,  and  doors  made  to 
enter  them.  A  rear  hall  is  cut  off  from  the  front, 
lighted  by  a  window  over  the  lower  rear  porch,  and  a 
door  leads  into  a  further  passage  in  the  wing,  fo\r  feet 
wide,  which  leads  down  a  flight  of  stairs  into  the 
kitchen  below.  At  the  head  of  this  flight  is  a  chamber 
20x12  feet,  for  the  female  domestic's  sleeping-room,  in 
which  may  be  placed  a  stove,  if  necessary,  passing  its 
pipe  into  the  kitchen  chimnev  which  passes  through  it. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


143 


16  X  If 
20X12 

t4> 

p 

ZOXI  8 

i 

12X12 

"1 

26X12 

16  XI8 
16  X  18 

A 

CHAMBER  PLAN. 


It  is  also  lighted  by  a  window  over  the  lean-to,  on  the 
side.  Back  of  this,  at  the  end  of  the  passage,  is 
the  sleeping-room,  16  feet  square,  for  the  "  men-folks," 
lighted  on  both  sides  by  a  window.  This  may  also  be 
warmed,  if  desired,  by  a  stove,  the  pipe  passing  into 
the  kitchen  chimney. 

The  cellar  may  extend  under  the  entire  house  and 
wing,  as  convenience  or  necessity  may  require.  If  it 
be  constructed  under  the  main  body  only,  an  offset 
should  be  excavated  to  accommodate  the  cellar  stairs, 
three  feet  in  width,  and  walled  in  with  the  rest.  A 


144 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


wide,  outer  passage,  with  a  flight  of  steps  should  also 
be  made  under  the  rear  nursery  window,  for  taking  in 
and  passing  out  bulky  articles,  with  double  doors  to 
shut  down  upon  it ;  and  partition  walls  should  be  built 
to  support  the  partitions  of  the  large  rooms  above. 
Many  minor  items  of  detail  might  be  mentioned,  all  of 
which  are  already  treated  in  the  general  remarks, 
under  their  proper  heads,  in  the  body  of  the  work,  and 
which  cannot  here  be  noticed  —  such  as  the  mode  of 
warming  it,  the  construction  of  furnaces,  &c. 

It  may,  by  some  builders,  be  considered  a  striking 
defect  in  the  interior  accommodation  of  a  house  of  this 
character,  that  the  chief  entrance  hall  should  not  be 
extended  through,  from  its  front  to  the  rear,  as  is  com- 
mon in  many  of  the  large  mansions  of  our  country. 
We  object  to  the  large,  open  hall  for  more  than  one 
reason,  except,  possibly,  in  a  house  for  summer  occu- 
pation only.  In  the  first  place  it  is  uncomfortable,  in 
subjecting  the  house  to  an  unnecessary  draught  of  air 
when  it  is  not  needed,  in  cold  weather.  Secondly,  it 
cuts  the  house  into  two  distinct  parts,  making  them 
inconvenient  of  access  in  crossing  its  wide  surface. 
Thirdly,  it  is  uneconomical,  in  taking  up  valuable  room 
that  can  be  better  appropriated.  For  summer  ventila- 
tion it  is  unnecessary ;  that  may  be  given  by  simply 
opening  the  front  door  and  a  chamber  window  con- 
nected with  the  hall  above,  through  which  a  current 
of  fresh  air  will  always  pass.  Another  thing,  the  hail 
belongs  to  the  front,  or  dress  part  of  the  house,  and 
should  be  cut  off  from  the  more  domestic  and  common 
apartments  by  a  partition,  although  accessible  to  them, 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


and  not  directly  communicating  with  such  apartments, 
which  cannot  of  necessity,  be  in  keeping  with  its  showy 
*nd  pretending  character.  It  should  contain  only  the 
front  flight  of  stairs,  as  a  part  of  its  appointments, 
oesides  the  doors  leading  to  its  best  apartments  on  the 
ground  floor,  which  should  be  centrally  placed  —  its 
rear  cloor  being  of  a  less  pretending  and  subordinate 
character.  Thus,  the  hall,  with  its  open  doors,  con- 
necting the  best  rooms  of  the  house  on  each  side,  with 
its  ample  flight  of  stairs  in  the  background,  gives  a 
distinct  expression  of  superiority  in  occupation  to  the 
other  and  humbler  portions  of  the  dwelling. 

In  winter,  too,  how  much  more  snug  and  comfortable 
is  the  house,  shut  in  from  the  prying  winds  and  shiv- 
ering cold  of  the  outside  air,  which  the  opposite  outer 
doors  of  an  open  hall  cannot,  in  their  continual  opening 
and  shutting,  altogether  exclude!  Our  own  experi- 
ence, and,  we  believe,  the  experience  of  most  house- 
keepers will  readily  concede  its  defects ;  and  after  full 
reflection  we  have  excluded  it  as  both  unnecessary  and 
inconvenient. 

Another  objection  has  been  avoided  in  the  better 
class  of  houses  here  presented,  which  has  crept  into 
very  many  of  the  designs  of  modern  builders ;  which  is, 
that  of  using  the  living  rooms  of  the  family,  more  or 
less,  as  passages  from  the  kitchen  apartments  in  pass- 
ing to  and  from  the  front  hall,  or  chief  entrance.  Such 
we  consider  a  decided  objection,  and  hence  arose, 
probably,  the  older  plans  of  by-gone  years,  of  making 
the  main  hall  reach  back  to  the  kitchen  itself.  This  is 
bere  obviated  by  a  cutting  up  of  the  rear  section  of  the 


146 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


hall,  by  which  a  passage,  in  all  cases  of  the  better  kind 
of  dwelling,  is  preserved,  without  encroaching  upon 
the  occupied  rooms  in  passing  out  and  in.  To  be  sure, 
the  front  door  is  not  the  usual  passage  for  the  laborers 
or  servants  of  the  house,  but  they  are  subject,  any  hour 
of  the  day,  to  be  called  there  to  admit  those  who  may 
come,  and  the  continual  opening  of  a  private  room  for 
such  purposes  is  most  annoying.  Therefore,  as  mat- 
ter of  convenience,  and  as  a  decided  improvement  on 
the  designs  above  noticed,  we  have  adhered  strictly  to 
the  separate  rear  passage. 

The  garret,  also,  as  we  have  arranged  our  designs,  is 
either  altogether  left  out,  or  made  a  quite  unimportant 
part*  of  the  dwelling.  It  is  but  a  lumber room,  at  best; 
and  should  be  approached  only  by  a  flight  of  steps 
from  a  rear  chamber  or  passage,  and  used  as  a  recep- 
tacle for  useless  traps,  or  cast-off  furniture,  seldom 
wanted.  It  is  hot  in  summer,  and  cold  in  winter,  unfit 
for  decent  lodging  to  any  human  being  in  the  house, 
and  of  little  account  any  way.  We  much  prefer  run- 
ning the  chambers  partially  into  the  roof,  which  we 
think  gives  them  a  more  comfortable  expression,  and 
admits  of  a  better  ventilation,  by  carrying  their  ceilings 
higher  without  the  expense  of  high  lody  walls  to  the 
aouse,  which  would  give  them  an  otherwise  naked 
look.  If  it  be  objected  that  thus  running  the  chambers 
above  the  plates  of  the  roof  prevents  the  insertion  of 
proper  ties  or  beams  to  hold  the  roof  plates  together  to 
prevent  their  spreading,  we  answer,  that  he  must  be  a 
poor  mechanic  who  cannot,  in  framing  the  chamber 
partitions  so  connect  the  opposite  plates  as  to  insure 


IvUliAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


147 


them  against  all  such  difficulty.  A  sheltered,  comfort- 
able aspect  is  that  which  should  distinguish  every  farm 
house,  and  the  cottage  chamber  is  one  of  its  chiefest 
characteristics ;  and  this  can  only  be  had  by  running 
such  apartments  into  the  roof,  as  in  our  design. 


CONSTRUCTION. 

A  house  of  this  kind  must,  according  to  its  locality, 
and  the  material  of  which  it  is  built,  be  liable  to  wide 
differences  of  estimate  in  its  cost ;  and  from  our  own 
experience  in  such  matters,  any  estimate  here  made 
we  know  cannot  be  reliable  as  a  rule  for  other  locali- 
ties, where  the  prices  of  material  and  labor  are  differ- 
ent from  our  own.  Where  lumber,  stone,  and  brick 
abound,  and  each  are  to  be  had  at  reasonable  prices, 
the  cost  of  an  establishment  of  this  kind  would  not 
vary  much  in  the  application  of  either  one  of  these 
materials  for  the  walls,  if  well  and  substantially  con- 
structed. There  should  be  no  sham,  nor  slight,  in  any 
part  of  the  building.  As  already  observed,  the  design 
6hows  a  high  degree  of  finish,  which,  if  building  for 
ourself,  we  should  not  indulge  in.  A  plain  style  of 
cornice,  and  veranda  finish,  we  should  certainly  adopt. 
Rut  the  roof  should  not  be  contracted  in  its  projecting 
breadth  over  the  walls,  in  any  part  of  the  structure  — 
if  anything,  it  should  be  more  extended.  The  bay- 
window  is  an  appendage  of  luxury,  only.  Great  care 
should  be  had,  in  attaching  its  roof  to  the  adjoining 
outer  wall,  to  prevent  leakage  of  any  kind.    If  the 


148 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


walls  be  of  brick,  or  stone,  a  beam  or  lintel  of  wood 
should  be  inserted  in  the  wall  over  the  window-opening, 
quite  two  inches  —  three  would  be  better — back  from 
its  outer  surface,,  to  receive  the  casing  of  the  window, 
that  the  drip  of  the  wall,  and  the  driving  of  the  storms 
may  fall  over  the  connecting  joints  of  the  window 
roof,  beyond  its  point  of  junction  with  it.  Such,  also, 
should  be  the  case  with  the  intersection  of  the  veranda 
or  porch  roof  with  the  wall  of  the  house,  wherever  a 
veranda,  or  porch  is  adopted ;  as,  simply  joined  on  to 
a  flush  surface,  as  such  appendages  usually  are — even 
if  ever  so  well  done  —  leakage  and  premature  decay 
is  inevitable. 

The  style  of  finish  must,  of  course,  influence,  in  a 
considerable  degree,  its  cost.  It  may,  with  the  plain- 
est finish,  be  done  for  $i,000,  and  from  that,  up  to 
$6,000.  Every  one  desirous  to  build,  should  apply  to 
the  best  mechanics  of  his  neighborhood  for  informa- 
tion on  that  point,  as,  in  such  matters,  they  are  the 
best  judges,  and  from  experience  in  their  own  particu- 
lar profession,  of  what  the  cost  of  building  must  be. 

The  rules  and  customs  of  housekeeping  vary,  in  dif- 
ferent sections  of  the  United  States,  and  the  Canadas. 
These,  also,  enter  into  the  estimates  for  certain  depart- 
ments of  building,  and  must  be  considered  in  the 
items  of  expenditure. 

The  manner  in  which  houses  should  be  warmed,  the 
ventilation,  accommodation  for  servants  and  laborers, 
the  appropriations  to  hospitality  —  all,  will  have  a  beat- 
ing on  the  expense,  of  which  we  cannot  be  the  proper 
judge. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


149 


A  sufficient  time  should  be  given,  to  build  a  Louse 
of  this  character.  A  house  designed  and  built  in  a 
hurry,  is  never  a  satisfactory  house  in  its  occupation. 
A  year  is  little  enough,  and  if  two  years  be  occupied 
in  its  design  and  construction,  the  more  acceptable  will 
probably  be  its  finish,  and  the  more  comfort  will  be 
added  in  its  enjoyment. 


GROUNDS,    PLANTATIONS,    AND  SURROUNDINGS. 

A  house  of  this  kind  should  never  stand  in  vulgar 
and  familiar  contact  with  the  highway,  but  at  a  dis- 
tance from  it  of  one  hundred  to  a  thousand  yards ;  or 
even,  if  the  estate  on  which  it  is  built  be  extensive,  a 
much  greater  distance.  Breadth  of  ground  between 
the  highway  and  the  dwelling  adds  dignity  and  char- 
acter to  its  appearance.  An  ample  lawn,  or  a  spread- 
ing park,  wTell  shaded  with  trees,  should  lay  before  it, 
through  which  a  well-kept  avenue  leads  to  its  front, 
and  most  frequented  side.  The  various  offices  and 
buildings  of  the  farm  itself,  should  be  at  a  respectable 
distance  from  it,  so  as  not  to  interfere  wTith  its  proper 
keeping  as  a  genteel  country  residence.  Its  occupant 
is  not  to  be  supposed  as  under  the  necessity  of  toiling 
with  his  daily  laborers  in  the  fields,  and  therefore, 
although  he  may  be  strictly  a  man  of  business,  he  has 
sufficient  employment  in  planning  his  work,  and  man- 
aging his  estate  through  a  foreman,  in  the  various 
labor-occupations  of  the  estate.  His  horse  may  be  at 
his  door  in  the  earliest  morning  hours,  that  he  may 


150 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


inspect  his  fields,  and  give  timely  directions  to  his 
laborers,  or  view  his  herds,  or  his  flocks,  before  his 
breakfast  hour ;  or  an  early  walk  may  take  him  to  his 
stables,  his  barns,  or  to  see  that  his  previous  directions 
are  executed. 

The  various  accommodation  appurtenant  to  the  dwell- 
ing, makes  ample  provision  for  the  household  conven- 
ience of  the  family,  and  the  main  business  of  the  farm 
may  be  at  some  distance,  without  inconvenience  to  the 
owner's  every-day  affairs.  Consequently,  the  indul- 
gence of  a  considerable  degree  of  ornament  may  be 
given,  in  the  surroundings  of  his  dwelling,  wThich  the 
occupant  of  a  less  extensive  estate  would  neither  re- 
quire, nor  his  circumstances  warrant.  A  natural  forest 
of  stately  trees,  properly  thinned  out,  is  the  most  ap- 
propriate spot  on  which  to  build  a  house  of  this  char- 
acter. But  that  not  at  hand,  it  should  be  set  off  with 
plantations  of  forest  trees,  of  the  largest  growth,  as  in 
keeping  with  its  own  liberal  dimensions.  A  capacious 
kitchen  garden  should  lead  off  from  the  rear  apart- 
ments, well  stocked  with  all  the  family  vegetables,  and 
culinary  fruits,  in  their  proper  seasons.  A  luxuriant 
fruit-garden  may  flank  the  least  frequented  side  of  the 
house.  ISTeat  and  tasteful  flower  beds  may  lie  beneath 
the  windows  of  the  rooms  appropriated  to  the  leisure 
hours  of  the  family,  to  which  the  smaller  varieties  of 
shrubbery  may  be  added,  separated  from  the  chief 
lawn,  or  park,  only  by  a  wire  fence,  or  a  simple  railing, 
such  as  not  to  cut  up  and  checker  its  simple  and  digni- 
fied surface ;  and  all  these  shut  in  on  the  rear  from  the 
adjoining  fields  of  the  farm  by  belts  of  large  shrubbery 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE 


151 


closely  planted,  or  the  larger  orchards,  thus  giving  it  a 
style  of  its  own,  yet  showing  its  connection  with  the 
pursuits  of  the  farm  and  its  dependence  upon  it. 

These  various  appointments,  however,  may  be  either 
carried  out  or  restricted,  according  to  the  requirements 
of  the  family  occupying  the  estate,  and  the  prevailing 
local  taste  of  the  vicinity  in  which  it  is  situated ;  but 
no  narrow  or  stingy  spirit  should  be  indicated  in  the 
general  plan  or  in  its  execution.  Every  appointment 
connected  with  it  should  indicate  a  liberality  of  pur- 
pose in  the  founder,  without  which  its  effect  is  pain- 
fully marred  to  the  eye  of  the  man  of  true. taste  and 
judgment.  Small  yards,  picketed  in  for  small  uses, 
have  no  business  in  sight  of  the  grounds  in  front,  and 
all  minor  concerns  should  be  throwm  into  the  rear, 
beyond  observation  from  the  main  approach  to  the 
dwelling.  The  trees  that  shade  the  entrance  park,  or 
lawn,  should  be  chiefly  forest  trees,  as  the  oak,  in  its 
varieties,  the  elm,  the  maple,  the  chestnut,  walnut, 
butternut,  hickory,  or  beech.  If  the  soil  be  favorable, 
a  few  weeping  willows  may  throw  their  drooping  spray 
around  the  house;  and  if  exotic,  or  foreign  trees  be 
permitted,  they  should  take  their  position  in  closer 
proximity  to  it  than  the  natural  forest  trees,  as  indica- 
ting the  higher  care  and  cultivation  which  attaches  to 
its  presence.  The  Lombardy  poplar,  albeit  a  tree  of 
disputed  taste  with  modern  planters,  we  would  now 
and  then  throw  in,  not  in  stiff  and  formal  rows,  as 
guarding  an  avenue,  but  occasionally  in  the  midst  of 
a  group  of  others,  above  which  it  should  rse  like  a 
church  spire  from  amidst  a  block  of  contiguous  houses — 


152 


BUBAL  ARCHITECTUEE. 


a  cheerful  relief  to  the  monotony  of  the  rounder-headed 
branches  of  the  more  spreading  varieties.  If  a  stream 
of  water  meander  the  park,  or  spread  into  a  little  pond, 
trees  which  are  partial  to  moisture  should  shadow  it  at 
different  points,  and  low,  water  shrubs  should  hang 
over  its  border,  or  even  run  into  its  margin.  Aquatic 
herbs,  too,  may  form  a  part  of  its  ornaments,  and  a 
boat-house,  if  such  a  thing  be  necessary,  should,  under 
the  shade  of  a  hanging  tree  of  some  kind,  be  a  conspic- 
uous object  in  the  picture.  An  overhanging  rock,  if 
such  a  thing  be  native  there,  may  be  an  object  of  great 
attraction  to  its  features,  and  its  outlet  may  steal  away 
and  be  hid  in  a  dense  mass  of  tangled  vines  and  brush- 
wood. The  predominating,  natural  features  of  the 
place  should  be  cultivated^  not  rooted  out,  and  meta- 
morphosed into  something  foreign  and  unfamiliar.  It 
should,  in  short,  be  nature  with  her  hair  combed  out 
straight,  flowing,  and  graceful,  instead  of  pinched, 
puffed,  and  curling — a  thing  of  luxuriance  and  beauty 
under  the  hand  of  a  master. 

The  great  difficulty  with  many  Americans  in  getting 
up  a  new  place  of  any  considerable  extent  is,  that  they 
seem  to  think  whatever  is  common,  or  natural  in  the 
features  of  the  spot  must  be  so  changed  as  to  show, 
above  all  others,  their  own  ingenuity  and  love  of  ex- 
pense in  fashioning  it  to  their  peculiar  tastes.  Rocks 
must  be  sunk,  or  blasted,  trees  felled,  and  bushes 
grubbed,  crooked  water-courses  straightened  —  the 
place  gibbeted  and  put  int  o  stocks ;  in  fact,  that  their 
own  boasted  handiwork  may  rise  superior  to  the 
wisdom  of  Him  who  fashioned  it  in  his  own  good 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


153 


pleasure ;  forgetting  that  a  thousand  points  of  natural 
beauty  upon  the  earth  on  which  they  breathe  are 

"When  unadorned,  adorned  the  most; " 

and  our  eye  has  been  frequently  shocked  at  finding  the 
choicest  gems  of  nature  sacrificed  to  a  wanton  display 
of  expense  in  perverting,  to  the  indulgence  of  a  mis- 
taken fancy,  that,  which,  with  an  eye  to  truth  and 
propriety,  and  at  a  trifling  expense,  might  have  be- 
come a  spot  of  abiding  interest  and  contentment* 


J  54 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


Design  VI. 

A  Southern  or  Plantation  House. —  The  proprie- 
tor of  a  plantation  in  the  South,  or  South-west,  re- 
quires altogether  a  different  kind  of  residence  from  the 
farmer  of  the  Northern,  or  Middle  States.  Tie  resides 
in  the  midst  of  his  own  principality,  surrounded  by  a 
retinue  of  dependents  and  laborers,  who  dwell  distant 
and  apart  from  his  own  immediate  family,  although 
composing  a  community  requiring  his  daily  care  and 
superintendence  for  a  great  share  of  his  time.  A  por- 
tion of  them  are  the  attaches  of  his  household,  yet  so 
disconnected  in  their  domestic  relations,  as  to  require 
a  separate  accommodation,  and  yet  be  in  immediate 
contiguity  with  it,  and  of  course,  an  arrangement  of 
living  widely  different  from  those  who  mingle  in  the 
same  circle,  and  partake  at  the  same  board. 

The  usual  plan  of  house-building  at  the  South,  we 
are  aware,  is  to  have  detaclied  servants'  rooms,  and 
offices,  and  a  space  of  some  yards  of  uncovered  way 
intervene  between  the  family  rooms  of  the  chief  dwell- 
ing and  its  immediate  dependents.  Such  arrange- 
ment, however,  we  consider  both  unnecessary  and 
inconvenient;  and  we  have  devised  a  plan  of  house- 
hold accommodation  which  will  bring  the  family  of 
the  planter  himself,  and  their  servants,  although  undei 


KUKAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


157 


different  roofs,  into  convenient  proximity  with  each 
other.    A  design  of  this  kind  is  here  given. 

The  style  is  mainly  Italian,  plain,  substantial,  yet, 
we  think,  becoming.  The  broad  veranda,  stretching 
around  three  sides,  including  the  front,  gives  an  air  of 
sheltered  repose  to  what  might  otherwise  appear  an 
ambitious  structure;  and  the  connected  apartments 
beyond,  show  a  quiet  utility  which  divests  it  of  an 
over  attempt  at  display.  Nothing  has  been  attempted 
for  appearance,  solely,  beyond  what  is  necessary  and 
proper  in  the  dwelling  of  a  planter  of  good  estate,  who 
wants  his  domestic  affairs  well  regulated,  and  his 
family,  and  servants  duly  provided  with  convenient 
accommodation.  The  form  of  the  main  dwelling  is 
nearly  square,  upright,  with  two  full  stories,  giving 
ample  area  of  room  and  ventilation,  together  witli  that 
appropriate  indulgence  to  ease  which  the  enervating 
warmth  of  a  southern  climate  renders  necessary.  The 
servants1  apartments,  and  kitchen  offices  are  so  dis- 
posed, that  while  connected,  to  render  them  easy  of 
access,  they  are  sufficiently  remote  to  shut  off  the 
familiarity  of  association  which  would  render  them 
obnoxious  to  the  most  fastidious  —  all,  in  fact,  under 
one  shelter,  and  within  the  readiest  call.  Such  should 
be  the  construction  of  a  planter's  house  in  the  United 
States,  and  such  this  design  is  intended  to  give. 

A  stable  and  carriage-house,  in  the  same  style,  is 
near  by,  not  connected  to  any  part  of  the  dwelling,  as 
in  the  previous  designs  —  with  sufficient  accommoda- 
tion for  coachman  and  grooms,  and  the  number  of 
saddle  and  carriage  horses  that  may  be  reqrired  for 


158 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


either  business  or  pleasure ;  and  to  it  may  be  connected, 
in  the  rear,  in  the  same  style  of  building,  or  plainer, 
and  less  expensive,  further  conveniences  for  such  do- 
mestic animals  as  may  be  required  for  family  use. 

The  whole  stands  in  open  grounds,  and  may  be  sep- 
arated from  each  other  by  enclosures,  as  convenience 
or  fancy  may  direct. 

The  roofs  of  all  the  buildings  are  broad  and  sweep- 
ing, well  protecting  the  walls  from  storm  and  frosts, 
as  w^ell  as  the  glaring  influences  of  the  sun,  and  com- 
bining that  comfortable  idea  of  shelter  and  repose  so 
grateful  in  a  well-conditioned  country  house.  It  is 
true,  that  the  dwelling  might  be  more  extensive  in 
room,  and  the  purposes  of  luxury  enlarged ;  but  the 
planter  on  five  hundred,  or  five  thousand  acres  of  land 
can  here  be  sufficiently  accommodated  in  all  the  rea- 
sonable indulgences  of  family  enjoyment,  and  a  lib- 
eral, even  an  elegant  and  prolonged  hospitality,  to 
which  he  is  so  generally  inclined. 

The  chimneys  of  this  house,  different  from  those  in 
the  previous  designs,  are  placed  next  the  outer  walls, 
thus  giving  more  space  to  the  interior,  and  not  being 
required,  as  in  the  others,  to  promote  additional  warmth 
than  their  fireplaces  will  give,  to  the  rooms.  A  deck 
on  the  roof  affords  a  pleasant  look-out  for  the  family 
from  its  top,  guarded  by  a  parapet,  and  giving  a  finish 
to  its  architectural  appearance,  and  yet  making  no 
ambitious  attempt  at  expensive  ornament.  It  is,  in 
fact,  a  plain,  substantial,  respectable  mansion  for  a  gen- 
tleman  of  good  estate,  and  nothing  beyond  it. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


159 


INTERIOR  ARRANGEMENT. 

This  house  stands  50  x  40  feet  on  the  ground.  The 
front  door  opens  from  the  veranda  into  a  hall,  24  x  14 
feet,  in  which  is  a  flight  of  stairs  leading  to  the  cham- 
bers above.   On  the  left  a  door  leads  into  a  library,  or 

GROUND  PLAN. 

.  y  

W  H 


160 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


business  room,  17x17  feet,  lighted  by  three  windows. 
A  fireplace  is  inserted  in  the  outer  wall.  Another 
door  leads  into  a  side  hall,  six  feet  wide,  which  sepa- 
rates the  library  from  the  dining-room,  which  is  also 
17x17  feet  in  area,  lighted  and  accommodated  with  a 
fireplace  like  the  other,  with  a  door  leading  into  it  from 
the  side  hall,  and  another  door  at  the  further  right 
hand  corner  leading  into  the  rear  hall,  or  entry. 

On  the  right  of  the  chief  entrance  hall,  opposite  the 
library,  a  door  opens  into  the  parlor  or  drawing-room, 
23x19  feet  in  area,  lighted  by  three  windows,  and 
having  a  fireplace  in  the  side  wTall.  A  door  leads  from 
the  rear  side  of  the  parlor  into  a  commodious  nursery, 
or  family  bedroom,  19x16  feet  in  size,  lighted  by  a 
window  in  each  outer  wall.  A  fireplace  is  also  inserted 
on  the  same  line  as  in  the  parlor.  From  the  nursery  a 
door  leads  into  and  through  a  large  closet,  9x7  feet, 
into  the  rear  hall.  This  closet  may  also  be  used  as  a 
sleeping-room  for  the  children,  or  a  confidential  ser- 
vant-maid, or  nurse,  or  devoted  to  the  storage  of  bed- 
linen  for  family  use.  Further  on,  adjoining,  is  another 
closet,  7x6  feet,  opening  from  the  rear  hall,  and  lighted 
by  a  window. 

Leading  from  the  outer  door  of  the  rear  hall  is  a 
cohered  passage  six  feet  wide,  16  feet  long,  and  one 
and  a  half  stories  high,  leading  to  the  kitchen  offices, 
and  lighted  by  a  window  on  the  left,  with  a  door 
opening  in  the  same  side  beyond,  on  to  the  side  front 
of  the  establishment.  On  the  right,  opposite,  a  door 
leads  on  to  the  kitchen  porch,  which  is  six  feet  wide, 
passing  on  to  the  bath-room  and  water-closet,  in  the 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


16J 


far  rear.  At  the  end  of  the  connecting  passage  from 
the  main  dwelling,  a  door  opens  into  the  kitchen, 
which  is  24x18  feet  in  size,  accommodated  with  two 
windows  looking  on  to  the  porch  just  described.  At 
one  end  is  an  open  fireplace  with  a  cooking  range  on 
one  side,  and  an  oven  on  the  other.  At  the  left  of  the 
entrance  door  is  a  large,  commodious  store-room  and 
pantry,  12x9  feet,  lighted  by  a  window ;  and  adjoining 
it,  (and  may  be  connected  with  it  by  a  door,  if  neces- 
sary,) a  kitchen  closet  of  the  same  size,  also  connected 
by  a  corresponding  door  from  the  opposite  corner  of 
the  kitchen.  Between  these  doors  is  a  flight  of  stairs 
leading  to  the  sleeping-rooms  above,  and  a  cellar  pas- 
sage beneath  them.  In  the  farther  right  corner  of  the 
kitchen  a  door  leads  into  a  smaller  closet,  8x6  feet, 
lighted  by  a  small  window  looking  on  to  the  rear  porch 
at  the  end.  A  door  at  the  rear  of  the  kitchen  leads 
out  into  the  porch  of  the  wash-roofti  beyond,  which  is 
six  feet  wide,  and  another  door  into  the  wash-room 
itself,  which  is  20x16  feet,  and  furnished  with  a  chim- 
ney and  boilers.  A  window  looks  out  on  the  extreme 
right  hand,  and  two  windows  on  to  the  porch  in  front. 
A  door  opens  from  its  rear  wall  into  the  wood-hous^, 
32x12  feet,  which  stands  open  on  two  sides,  supported 
by  posts,  and  under  the  extended  roof  of  the  wash-room 
and  its  porch  just  mentioned.  A  servants'  water- 
closet  is  attached  to  the  extreme  right  corner  of  the 
wood-house,  by  way  of  lean-to. 

The  bath-room  is  10x6  feet  in  area,  and  supplied 
with  water  from  the  kitchen  boilers  adjoining.  The  wa 
ter-closet  beyond  is  6  feet  square,  and  architecturally, 


162 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


in  its  roof,  may  be  made  a  fitting  termination  to  that 
of  the  porch  leading  to  it. 


The  main  flight  of  stairs  in  the  entrance  hall  leads 
on  to  a  broad  landkig  in  the  spacious  upper  hall,  from 
which  doors  pass  into  the  several  chambers,  which 
may  be  duly  accommodated  with  closets.  The  pas- 
sage connecting  w^ith  the  upper  story  of  the  servants' 
offices,  opens  from  the  rear  section  of  this  upper  hall, 
and  by  the  flight  of  rear  stairs  communicates  with  the 
kitchen  and  out-buildings.  A  garret  flight  of  steps 
may  be  made  in  the  rear  section  of  the  main  upper 
hall,  by  which  that  apartment  may  be  reached,  and 
the  upper  deck  of  the  roof  ascended. 

The  sleeping-rooms  of  the  kitchen  may  be  divided 
off  as  convenience  may  dictate,  and  the  entire  structure 
thus  appropriated  to  every  accommodation  which  a 
ivell-regulated  family  need  require. 


CHAMBER  PLAN. 


BUBAL  ABCHITECTT7RE. 


163 


CARRIAGE  HOUSE. 


The  carriage-house  is  48x24  feet  in  size,  with  a 
projection  of  five  feet  on  the  entrance  front,  fhe  door 
of  which  leads  both  into  the  carriage-room  and  stables. 
On  the  right  is  a  bedroom,  10 xS  feet,  for  the  grooms, 
lighted  by  a  window ;  and  beyond  are  six  stalls  for 
horses,  with  a  window  in  the  rear  wall  beyond  them. 
A  flight  of  stairs  leads  to  the  hayloft  above.  In  the 
rear  of  the  carriage-room  is  a  harness-room,  12x4  feet, 
and  a  granary  of  the  same  size,  each  lighted  by  a 
window.  If  farther  attachments  be  required  for  the 
accommodation  of  out-building  conveniences,  they  may 
oe  continued  indefinitely  in  the  rear. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

It  may  strike  the  reader  that  the  house  just  described 
has  a  lavish  appropriation  of  veranda,  and  a  needless 
side-front,  which  latter  may  detract  from  the  precise 
architectural  keeping  that  a  dwelling  of  this  pretension 
should  maintain.  In  regard  to  the  first,  it  may  be 
remarked,  that  no  feature  of  the  house  in  a  southern 
climate  can  be  more  expressive  of  easy,  comfortable 


164 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


enjoyment,  than  a  spacious  veranda.  The  habits  of 
southern  life  demand  it  as  a  place  of  exercise  in  wet 
weather,  and  the  cooler  seasons  of  the  year,  as  well  as 
a  place  of  recreation  and  social  intercourse  during  the 
fervid  heats  of  the  summer.  Indeed,  many  southern 
people  almost  live  under  the  shade  of  their  verandas. 
It  is  a  delightful  place  to  take  their  meals,  to  receive 
their  visitors  and  friends ;  and  the  veranda  gives  to  a 
dwelling  the  very  expression  of  hospitality,  so  far  as 
any  one#  feature  of  a  dwelling  can  do  it.  No  equal 
amount  of  accommodation  can  be  provided  for  the 
same  cost.  It  adds  infinitely  to  the  room  of  the  house 
itself,  and  is,  in  fact,  indispensable  to  the  full  enjoy- 
ment of  a  southern  house. 

The  side  front  in  this  design  is  simply  a  matter  of 
convenience  to  the  owner  and  occupant  of  the  estate, 
who  has  usually  much  office  business  in  its  manage- 
ment ;  and  in  the  almost  daily  use  of  his  library,  where 
such  business  may  be  done,  a  side  door  and  front  is 
both  appropriate  and  convenient.  The  chief  front 
entrance  belongs  to  his  family  and  guests,  and  should 
be  devoted  to  their  exclusive  use ;  and  as  a  light  fence 
may  be  thrown  off  from  the  extreme  end  of  the  side 
porch,  separating  the  front  lawn  from  the  rear  approach 
to  the  house,  the  veranda  on  that  side  may  be  reached 
from  its  rear  end,  for  business  purposes,  without  intru- 
ding upon  the  lawn  at  all.    So  we  would  arrange  it. 

Objections  may  be  made  to  the  sameness  of  plan,  in 
the  arrangement  of  the  lower  rooms  of  the  several 
designs  which  we  have  submitted,  such  as  having  the 
uursery,  or  family  sleepi  g-room,  on  the  main  floor  of 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


165 


the  house,  and  the  uniformity,  in  location,  of  the  others  , 
and  that  there  are  no  new  and  striking  features  in  them. 
The  answer  to  these  may  be,  that  the  room  appropriated 
for  the  nursery,  or  bedroom,  may  be  used  for  other  pur- 
poses, equally  as  well ;  that  when  a  mode  of  accommo- 
dation is  already  as  convenient  as  may  be,  it  is  poorly 
worth  while  to  make  it  less  convenient,  merely  for  the 
sake  of  variety;  and,  that  utility  and  convenience  are 
the  main  objects  to  be  attained  in  any  well-ordered 
dwelling.  These  two  requisites,  utility  and  conven- 
ience, attained,  the  third  and  principal  one  —  comfort — 
is  secured.  Cellar  kitchens  —  the  most  abominable 
nuisances  that  ever  crept  into  a  country  dwelling  — 
might  have  been  adopted,  no  doubt,  to  the  especial 
delight  of  some  who  know  nothing  of  the  experimental 
duties  of  housekeeping;  but  the  recommendation  of 
these  is  an  offence  which  we  have  no  stomach  to  answer 
for  hereafter.  Steep,  winding,  and  complicated  stair- 
cases might  have  given  a  new  feature  to  one  or  another 
of  the  designs  ;  dark  closets,  intricate  passages,  unique 
cubby-holes,  and  all  sorts  of  inside  gimcrackery  might 
have  amused  our  pencil;  but  we  have  avoided  them, 
as  well  as  everything  which  would  stand  in  the  way  of 
the  simplest,  cheapest,  and  most  direct  mode  of  reach- 
ing the  object  in  view:  a  convenient,  comfortably- 
arranged  dwelling  within,  having  a  respectable,  digni- 
fied appearance  without  —  and  such,  we  trust,  have 
been  thus  far  presented  in  our  designs. 


166 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


LAWN,  AND  PARK  SURROUNDINGS. 

The  trees  and  shrubbery  which  ornament  the  ap- 
proach to  this  house,  should  be  rather  of  the  graceful 
varieties,  than  otherwise.  The  weeping-willow,  the 
horse-chesnut,  the  mountain-ash,  if  suitable  to  the  cli- 
mate ;  or  the  china- tree  of  the  south,  or  the  linden,  the 
wreeping-elm3  and  the  silver-maple,  with  its  long  slen- 
der branches  and  hanging  leaves,  would  add  most  to 
the  beauty,  and  comport  more  closely  with  the  charac- 
ter of  this  establishment,  than  the  more  upright,  stiff, 
and  unbending  trees  of  our  American  forests.  The 
Lombardy-poplar —  albeit,  an  object  of  fashionable 
derision  with  many  tree-fanciers  in  these  more  tasty 
days,  as  it  wras  equally  the  admiration  of  our  fathers, 
of  forty  years  ago  —  would  set  off  and  give  effect 
to  a  mansion  of  this  character,  either  in  a  clump  at  the 
back-ground,  as  shown  in  the  design,  or  occasionally 
shooting  up  its  spire-like  top  through  a  group  of  the 
other  trees.  Yet,  if  built  in  a  fine  natural  park  or 
lawn  of  oaks,  with  a  few  other  trees,  such  as  we  have 
named,  planted  immediately  around  it,  this  house 
would  still  show  with  fine  effect. 

The  style  of  finish  given  to  this  dwelling  may  appear 
too  ornate  and  expensive  for  the  position  it  is  supposed 
to  occupy.  If  so,  a  plainer  mode  of  finish  may  be 
adopted,  to  the  cheapest  degree  consistent  with  the 
manner  of  its  construction.  Still,  on  examination,  there 
will  be  found  little  intricate  or  really  expensive  work 
upon  it.  Strength,  substance,  durability,  should  all 
enter  into  its  composition  ;  and  without  these  elements, 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


167 


a  house  of  this  appearance  is  a  mere  bauble,  not  fit  t  > 
stand  upon  the  premises  of  any  man  of  substantial 
estate. 

If  a  more  extensive  accommodation  be  necessary, 
than  the  size  of  this  house  can  afford,  its  style  will 
admit  of  a  wing,  of  any  desirable  length,  on  each  side, 
in  place  of  the  rear  part  of  the  side  verandas,  without 
prejudice  to  its  character  or  effect.  Indeed,  such  wings 
may  add  to  its  dignity,  and  consequence,  as  comport- 
ing with  the  standing  and  influence  which  its  occupant 
may  hold  in  the  community  wherein  lie  resides.  A 
man  of  mark,  indeed,  should,  if  he  live  in  the  country, 
occupy  a  dwelling  somewhat  indicating  the  position 
which  he  holds,  both  in  society  and  in  public  affairs. 
By  this  remark,  we  may  be  treading  on  questionable 
ground,  in  our  democratic  country  ;  but,  practically, 
there  is  a  fitness  in  it  which  no  one  can  dispute.  Not 
that  extravagance,  pretension,  or  any  other  assumption 
of  superiority  should  mark  the  dwelling  of  the  distin- 
guished man,  but  that  his  dwelling  be  of  like  character 
with  himself:  plain,  dignified,  solid,  and,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  altogether  respectable. 

It  is  a  happy  feature  in  the  composition  of  our  repub- 
lican institutions,  both  social  and  political,  that  we  can 
afford  to  let  the  flashy  men  of  the  day  —  not  of  time  — 
flaunter  in  all  their  purchased  fancy  in  house-building, 
without  prejudice  to  the  prevailing  sober  sentiment  of 
their  neighbors,  in  such  particulars.  The  man  of 
money,  simply,  may  build  his  "  villa,"  and  squander 
his  tens  of  thousands  upon  it.  He  may  riot  within  it, 
and  fidget  about  it  for  a  few  brief  years ;  he  may  even 


168 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


hang  his  coat  of  arms  upon  it,  if  he  can  fortunately  do 
so  without  stumbling  over  a  lapstone,  or  greasing  his 
coat  against  the  pans  of  a  cook-shop ;  but  it  is  equally 
sure  that  no  child  of  his  will  occupy  it  after  him,  even 
if  his  own  changeable  fancy  or  circumstances  permi 
him  to  retain  it  for  his  natural  life.    Such  are  th 
episodes  of  country  house-building,  and  of  frequen 
attempts  at  agricultural  life,  by  those  who  affect  it  as  a 
matter  of  ostentation  or  display.    For  the  subjects  of 
these,  we  do  not  write.    But  there  is  something  exceed- 
ingly grateful  to  the  feelings  of  one  of  stable  views  in 
life,  to  look  upon  an  estate  which  has  been  long  in  an 
individual  family,  still  maintaining  its  primitive  char- 
acter and  respectability.    Some  five-and-twenty  years 
ago,  when  too  young  to  have  any  established  opinions 
in  matters  of  this  sort,  as  we  were  driving  through  one 
of  the  old  farming  towns  in  Massachusetts,  about  twenty 
miles  west  of  Boston,  we  approached  a  comfortable, 
well-conditioned  farm,  with  a  tavern-house  upon  the 
high  road,  and  several  great  elms  standing  about  it. 
The  road  passed  between  two  of  the  trees,  and  from  a 
cross-beam,  lodged  across  their  branches,  swung  a 
large  square  sign,  with  names  and  dates  painted  upon 
it  —  name  and  date  we  have  forgotten  ;  it  was  a  good 
old  Puritan  name,  however  —  in  this  wise: 

"  John  Endicott,  1652." 
"  John  Endicott,  1696." 
"  John  Endicott,  1749." 
"  John  Endicott,  1784." 
"  John  Endicott,  1817." 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


169 


As  our  eyes  read  over  this  list,  we  were  struck  with 
the  stability  of  a  family  who  for  many  consecutive 
generations  had  occupied,  by  the  same  name,  that  ven- 
erable spot,  and  ministered  to  the  comfort  of  as  many 
generations  of  travelers,  and  incontinently  took  off  our 
hat  in  respect  to  the  record  of  so  much  worth,  drove 
our  horse  under  the  shed,  had  him  fed,  went  in,  and 
took  a  quiet  family  dinner  with  the  civil,  good-tempered 
host,  and  the  equally  kind-mannered  hostess,  then  in 
the  prime  of  life,  surrounded  with  a  fine  family  of 
children,  and  heard  from  his  own  lips  the  history  of 
his  ancestors,  from  their  first  emigration  from  Eng- 
land —  not  in  the  Mayflower,  to  whose  immeasurable 
accommodations  our  good  New  England  ancestors  are 
so  prone  to  refer  —  but  in  one  of  her  early  successors. 

All  over  the  old  thirteen  states,  from  Maine  to  Geor- 
gia, can  be  found  agricultural  estates  now  containing 
families,  the  descendants  of  those  who  founded  them  — 
exceptions  to  the  general  rule,  we  admit,  of  American 
stability  of  residence,  but  none  the  less  gratifying  to 
the  contemplation  of  those  who  respect  a  deep  love  of 
home,  wherever  it  may  be  found.  For  the  moral 
of  our  episode  on  this  subject,  we  cannot  refrain  from 
a  description  of  a  fine  old  estate  which  we  have  fre- 
quently seen,  minus  now  the  buildings  which  then 
existed,  and  long  since  supplanted  by  others  equally 
respectable  and  commodious,  and  erected  by  the  suc- 
cessor of  the  original  occupant,  the  late  Dr.  Boyls- 
ton,  of  Koxbury,  who  long  made  the  farm  his  sum- 
mer residence.  The  description  is  from  an  old  work, 
"The  History  of  the  County  of  "Worcester,  in  the 


170 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


State  of  Massachusetts,  by  the  Rev.  Peter  Whitney, 
1793:" 

"  Many  of  the  houses  (in  Princeton,)  are  large  and 
elegant.  This  leads  to  a  particular  mention,  that  in 
this  town  is  the  country  seat  of  the  Hon.  Moses  Gill, 
Esq.,  ('  Honorable '  meant  something  in  those  days,) 
who  has  been  from  the  year  1775  one  of  the  Judges  of 
the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  the  county  of  Worces- 
ter, and  for  several  years  a  counsellor  of  this  common- 
wealth. His  noble  and  elegant  seat  is  about  one  mile 
and  a  quarter  from  the  meeting-house,  to  the  south. 
The  farm  contains  upwards  of  three  thousand  acres. 
The  county  road  from  Princeton  to  Worcester  passes 
through  it,  in  front  of  the  house,  which  faces  to  the 
west.  The  buildings  stand  upon  the  highest  land  of 
the  whole  farm ;  but  it  is  level  round  about  them  for 
many  rods,  and  then  there  is  a  very  gradual  descent. 
The  land  on  which  these  buildings  stand  is  elevated 
between  twelve  hundred  and  thirteen  hundred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  as  the  Hon.  James  Win- 
throp,  Esq.  informs  me.  The  mansion  house  is  large, 
being  50x50  feet,  with  four  stacks  of  chimnies.  The 
farm  house  is  40  feet  by  36 :  In  a  line  with  this  stand, 
the  coach  and  chaise-house,  50  feet  by  36.  This  is 
joined  to  the  barn  by  a  shed  70  feet  in  length : — the 
barn  is  200  feet  by  32.  Yery  elegant  fences  are 
erected  around  the  mansion  house,  the  out-houses,  and 
the  garden. 

"  The  prospect  from  this  seat  is  extensive  and  grand, 
taking  in  a  horizon  to  the  east,  of  seventy  miles,  at 
least.    The  blue  hills  in  Milton  are  discernible  with 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


171 


the  naked  eye,  from  the  windows  of  this  superb  edifice, 
distant  not  less  than  sixty  miles  ;  as  also  the  waters  in 
the  harbor  of  Boston,  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year. 
When  we  view  this  seat,  these  buildings,  and  this  farm 
of  so  many  hundred  acres,  now  under  a  high  degree  of 
profitable  cultivation,  and  are  told  that  in  the  year 
1766  it  was  a  perfect  wilderness,  wre  are  struck  with 
wonder,  admiration,  and  astonishment.  The  honorable 
jxroprietor  thereof  must  have  great  satisfaction  in  con- 
templating these  improvements,  so  extensive,  made 
under  his  direction,  and,  I  may  add,  by  his  own  active 
industry.  Judge  Gill  is  a  gentleman  of  singular  viva- 
city and  activity,  and  indefatigable  in  his  endeavors  to 
bring  forward  the  cultivation  of  his  lands ;  of  great 
and  essential  service,  by  his  example,  in  the  employ- 
ment he  finds  for  so  many  persons,  and  in  all  his 
attempts  to  serve  the  interests  of  the  place  where  he 
dwells,  and  in  his  acts  of  private  munificence,  and 
public  generosity,  and  deserves  great  respect  and  es- 
teem, not  only  from  individuals,  but  from  the  town 
and  country  he  has  so  greatly  benefited,  and  especially 
by  the  ways  in  wdiich  he  makes  use  of  that  vast  estate 
wherewith  a  kind  Providence  has  blessed  him." 

Such  was  the  estate,  and  such  the  man  who  founded 
and  enjoyed  it  sixty  years  ago;  and  many  an  equal 
estate,  founded  and  occupied  by  equally  valuable  men, 
then  existed,  and  still  exist  in  all  our  older  states;  and 
if  our  private  and  public  virtues  are  preserved,  will 
ever  exist  in  every  state  of  our  union.  Such  pictures, 
too,  are  forcible  illustrations  of  the  morals  of  correct 
building  on  the  ample  estates  of  many  of  our  American 

\ 


172 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


planters  and  farmers.  The  mansion  house,  which  is  so 
graphically  described,  we  saw  but  a  short  time  before 
it  was  pulled  down  —  then  old,  and  hardly  worth 
repairing,  being  built  of  wood,  and  of  style  something 
like  this  design  of  our  own,  bating  the  extent  of 
1  veranda. 

The  cost  of  this  house  may  be  from  $5000  to  $8000, 
depending  upon  the  material  of  which  it  is  constructed, 
the  degree  of  finish  given  to  it,  and  the  locality  where 
it  is  built.  All  these  circumstances  are  to  be  consid- 
ered, and  the  estimates  should  be  made  by  practical 
and  experienced  builders,  who  are  competent  judges 
in  whatever  appertains  to  it. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


175 


Design  VII. 

A  Plantation  House. — Another  southern  house  is 
here  presented,  quite  different  in  architectural  design 
from  the  last,  plain,  unpretending,  less  ornate  in  its 
finish,  as  well  as  less  expensive  in  construction.  It 
may  occupy  a  different  site,  in  a  hilly,  wooded  coun- 
try of  rougher  surface,  but  equally  becoming  it,  as 
the  other  would  more*  fitly  grace  the  level  prairie, 
or  spreading  plain  in  the  more  showy  luxury  of  its 
character. 

This  house  stands  46x44  feet  on  the  ground,  two 
stories  high,  with  a  full  length  veranda,  10  feet  wide 
in  front,  and  a  half  length  one  above  it,  connecting 
with  the  main  roof  by  an  open  gable,  under  which  is  a 
railed  gallery  for  summer  repose  or  recreation,  or  to 
enjoy  the  scenery  upon  which  it  may  open.  The  roof 
is  broad  and  overhanging,  thoroughly  sheltering  the 
walls,  and  giving  it  a  most  protected,  comfortable  look. 
Covering  half  the  rear  is  a  lean-to,  with  shed  roof,  16 
feet  wide,  communicating  with  the  servants'  offices  in 
the  wing,  the  hall  of  which  opens  upon  a  low  veranda 
on  its  front,  and  leading  to  the  minor  conveniences  of 
the  establishment.  The  main  servants'  building  is 
30x20  feet,  one  and  a  half  stories  high,  with  a  roof  in 
keeping  with  the  main  dwelling,  and  a  chimney  in 


176 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


the  center.  In  rear  of  this  is  attached  a  wood-house, 
with  a  shed  roof,  thus  sloping  off,  and  giving  it  a 
reposed,  quiet  air  from  that  point  of  view.  A  narrow 
porch,  23  feet  long  and  8  feet  wide,  also  shades  the 
remaining  rear  part  of  the  main  dwelling,  opening  on 
to  the  approach  in  rear. 


INTERIOR  ARRANGEMENT. 

The  front  door  opens  into  a  hall  34  feet  long  and  10 
feet  wide,  with  a  flight  of  stairs.  On  the  left  of  this 
opens  a  parlor  or  dining-room,  22x18  feet,  lighted  by 
two  windows  in  front  and  one  on  the  side,  and  connect- 
ing with  the  dining-room  beyond,  which  is  18x16  feet, 
with  two  small  dining  closets  between.  The  dining- 
room  has  two  windows  opening  on  to  the  ' rear  veranda. 
Under  the  cross  flight  of  stairs  in  the  hall,  a  partition 
separates  it  from  the  rear  hall,  into  which  is  a  door. 
On  the  right  of  the  entrance  hall  is  a  library,  18x18 
feet,  lighted  by  three  windows.  At  the  farther  end 
is  a  closet,  and  by  the  side  of  it  a  small  entry  leading 
into  the  nursery  or  family  bedroom,  18x15  feet  in  size, 
which  also  has  a  corresponding  closet  with  the  library. 
On  the  rear  of  the  nursery  is  a  flight  of  back  stairs 
opening  from  it.  Under  these  stairs,  at  the  other  end, 
a  door  opens  to  another  flight  leading  into  the  cellar 
below.  A  door  also  leads  out  from  the  nursery  into 
the  rear  passage,  to  the  offices ;  another  door  on  the 
further  side  of  the  room  opens  into  the  rear  hall  of  the 
house.    The  nursery  should  have  two  windows,  but 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


177 


J  I 

-1  OFFICE 

STORE  J 

1  2*10 

10X10 

T1 


WH 


PORCH 


GROUND  PLAN. 


the  drawing,  by  an  error,  gives  only  on  e.  From  this 
rear  hall  a  door  opens  on  the  rear  veranda,  and 
another  into  the  passage  to  the  rear  offices.  This  pas- 
sage is  six  feet  wide  and  34  feet  long,  opening  at  its 
left  end  on  to  the  veranda,  and  on  the  right,  to  the 
servants'  porch,  and  from  its  rear  side  into  three  small 
rooms,  10  feet  square  each,  the  outer  one  of  which 
may  be  a  business  room  for  the  proprietor  of  the  es- 
tate ;  the  next,  a  store-room  for  family  supplies ;  and 
the  other  a  kitchen  closet.  Each  of  these  is  lighted  by 
a  window  on  the  rear.    A  door  also  leadr,  from  the 


178 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


rear  passage  into  the  kitchen,  20x16  feet  in  area,  with 
a  window  looking  ont  in  front  and  two  others  on  the 
side  and  rear,  and  a  door  into  the  wood-house.  In  this 
is  placed  a  large  chimney  for  the  cooking  establish- 
ment, oven,  &c,  &c.  A  flight  of  stairs  and  partition 
divides  this  from  the  wash-room,  which  is  14x14  feet, 
with  two  windows  in  the  side,  and  a  door  into  the 
wood-house.  This  wood-house  is  open  on  two  sides, 
and  a  water-closet  is  in  the  far  corner.  The  small 
veranda,  which  is  six  feet  wide,  fronting  the  kitchen 
apartments,  opens  into  the  bath-room,  9x6  feet,  into 
which  the  water  is  drawn  from  the  kitchen  boilers 
in  the  adjoining  chimney.  Still  beyond  this  is  the 
entrance  to  the  water-closets,  6x5  feet. 


iSxie 


18X14 


19X18 


18X16 


PLATFORM. 
1  s 

CHAMBER  PLAN. 


The  cbambfr  plan  is  simple,  and  will  be  readily 
comprehended.  If  more  rooms  are  desirable,  they  can 
be  cut  off  from  the  larger  ones.  A  flight  of  garret 
stairs  may  also  be  put  in  the  rear  chamber  hall.  The 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


179 


main  hall  of  the  chambers,  in  connection  with  the 
upper  veranda,  may  be  made  a  delightful  resort  for 
the  summer,  where  the  leisure  hours  of  the  family  may 
be  passed  in  view  of  the  scenery  which  the  house  may 
command,  and  thus  made  one  of  its  most  attractive 
features. 

MISCELL ANE OUS. 

We  have  given  less  veranda  to  this  house  than  to 
the  last,  because  its  style  does  not  require  it,  and  it  is 
a  cheaper  and  less  pains-taking  establishment  through- 
out, although,  perhaps,  quite  as  convenient  in  its  ar- 
rangement as  the  other.  The  veranda  may,  however, 
be  continued  round  the  two  ends  of  the  house,  if 
required.  A  screen,  or  belt  of  privet,  or  low  ever- 
greens may  be  planted  in  a  circular  form  from  the 
front  right-hand  corner  of  the  dwelling,  to  the  corres- 
ponding corner  of  the  rear  offices,  enclosing  a  clothes 
drying  yard,  and  cutting  them  oft"  from  too  sightly  an 
exposure  from  the  lawn  in  front.  The  opposite  end  of 
the  house,  which  may  be  termed  its  husiness  front, 
may  open  to  the  every-day  approach  to  the  house,  and 
be  treated  as  convenience  may  determine. 

For  the  tree  decoration  of  this  establishment,  ever- 
greens may  come  in  for  a  share  of  attraction.  Their 
conical,  tapering  points  will  correspond  well  with  its 
general  architecture,  and  add  strikingly  to  its  effect ; 
otherwise  the  remarks  already  given  on  the  subject  of 
park  and  lawn  plantation  will  suffice.    As,  however, 

in  the  position  where  this  establishment  is  supposed  to 
8 


180 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


be  erected,  land  is  plenty,  ample  area  should  be  appro- 
priated to  its  convenience,  and  no  pinched  or  parsimo- 
nious spirit  should  detract  from  giving  it  the  fullest 
effect  in  an  allowance  of  ground.  Nor  need  the 
ground  devoted  to  such  purposes  be  at  all  lost,  or 
unappropriated ;  various  uses  can  be  made  of  it,  yield- 
ing both  pleasure  and  profit,  to  which  a  future  chapter 
will  refer;  and  it  is  one  of  the  chief  pleasures  of 
retired  residence  to  cultivate,  in  the  right  place,  such 
incidental  objects  of  interest  as  tend  to  gratify,  as  wrell 
as  to  instruct,  in  whatever  appertains  to  the  elevation 
of  our  thoughts,  and  the  improvement  of  our  condition. 
All  these,  in  their  place,  should  be  drawn  about  our 
dwellings,  to  render  them  as  agreeable  and  attractive 
as  cur  ingenuity  and  labor  may  command. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


181 


LAWNS,  GKOUNDS,  PABKS,  AND  WOODS. 


Having  essayed  to  instruct  our  agricultural  friends 
in  the  proper  modes  of  erecting  their  rhouses,  and 
providing  for  their  convenient  accommodation  within 
them,  a  few  remarks  may  be  pardoned  touching  such 
collateral  subjects  of  embellishment  as  may  be  con- 
nected with  the  farm  residence  in  the  way  of  planta- 
tions and  grounds  in  their  immediate  vicinity. 

We  are  well  aware  that  small  farms  do  not  permit 
any  considerable  appropriation  of  ground  to  icaste 
purposes,  as  such  spots  are  usually  called  which  are 
occupied  with  wood,  or  the  shade  of  open  trees,  near 
the  dwelling.  But  no  dwelling  can  be  complete  in  all 
its  appointments  without  trees  in  its  immediate  vicinity. 
This  subject  has  perhaps  been  sufficiently  discussed  in 
preceding  chapters ;  yet,  as  a  closing  course  of  remark 
upon  what  a  farm  house,  greater  or  less  in  extent, 
should  be  in  the  amount  of  shade  given  to  it,  a  further 
suggestion  or  two  may  be  permitted.  There  are,  in 
almost  all  places,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  dwelling,  por- 
tions of  ground  which  can  be  appropriated  to  forest 
trees  without  detriment  to  other  economical  uses,  if 
applied  in  the  proper  way.    Any  one  who  passes  along 


182 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


a  high  road  and  discovers  the  farm  house,  seated  on 
the  margin  or  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  a  pleasant 
grove,  is  immediately  struck  with  the  peculiarly  rural 
and  picturesque  air  which  it  presents,  and  thinks  to 
himself  that  he  should  love  such  a  spot  for  his  own 
home,  without  reflecting  that  he  might  equally  as  well 
create  one  of  the  same  character.  Sites  already  occu- 
pied, where  different  dispositions  are  made  of  contigu- 
ous ground,  may  not  admit  of  like  advantages ;  and 
such  are  to  be  continued  in  their  present  arrangement, 
with  such  course  of  improvement  as  their  circumstances 
will  admit.  But  to  such  as  are  about  to  select  the  sites 
of  their  future  homes,  it  is  important  to  study  what  can 
best  embellish  them  in  the  most  effective  shade  and 
ornament. 

In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  our  large  towns  and 
cities  it  is  seldom  possible  to  appropriate  any  consider- 
able breadth  of  land  to  ornamental  purposes,  excepting 
rough  and  unsightly  waste  ground,  more  or  less  occu- 
pied with  rock  or  swamp ;  or  plainer  tracts,  so  sterile 
as  to  be  comparatively  worthless  for  cultivation.  Such 
grounds,  too,  often  lie  bare  of  wood,  and  require  plant- 
ing, and  a  course  of  years  to  cover  them  with  trees, 
even  if  the  proprietor  is  willing,  or  desirous  to  devote 
them  to  such  purpose.  Still,  there  are  vast  sections  of 
our  country  where  to  economize  land  is  not  important, 
and  a  mixed  occupation  of  it  to  both  ornament  and 
profit  may  be  indulged  to  the  extent  of  the  owner's 
disposition.  All  over  the  United  States  there  are 
grand  and  beautiful  sweeps  and  belts  of  cultivated 
country,  interspersed  with  finely-wooded  tracts,  which 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


183 


offer  the  most  attractive  sites  for  the  erection  ol  dwell- 
ings on  the  farms  which  embrace  them,  and  that 
require  only  the  eye  and  hand  of  taste  to  convert  them, 
with  slight  labor,  into  the  finest-wooded  lawns  and 
forested  parks  imaginable.  Xo  country  whatever  pro- 
duces finer  trees  than  Moith  America.  The  ever- 
greens of  the  north  luxuriate  in  a  grandeur  scarcely 
known  elsewhere,  and  shoot  their  cones  into  the  sky  to 
an  extent  that  the  stripling  pines  and  firs,  and  larches 
of  England  in  vain  may  strive  to  imitate.  The  elm  of 
New  England  towers  up,  and  spreads  out  its  Sweeping 
arms  with  a  majesty  unwonted  in  the  ancient  parks  or 
forests  of  Europe ;  while  its  maples,  and  birches,  and 
beeches,  and  ashes,  and  oaks,  and  the  great  white- 
armed  buttonwood,  make  up  a  variety  of  intervening 
growth,  luxuriant  in  the  extreme.  Pass  on  through 
the  Middle  States,  and  into  the  far  west,  and  there 
they  still  flourish  with  additional  kinds  —  the  tulip  and 
poplar — the  nut-trees,  in  all  their  wide  variety,  with 
a  host  of  others  equally  grand  and  imposing,  inter- 
spersed; and  shrub-trees  innumerable,  are  seen  every- 
where as  they  sweep  along  your  path.  Beyond  the 
Alleghanies,  and  south  of  the  great  lakes,  are  vast 
natural  parks,  many  of  them  enclosed,  and  dotted  writh 
herds  of  cattle  ranging  over  them,  which  will  show 
single  trees,  and  clumps  of  forest  that  William  the 
Conqueror  would  have  given  a  whole  fiefdom  in  his 
Hampshire  spoliations  to  possess;  while,  stretching 
away  toward  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  new  varieties  of  tree 
are  found,  equally  imposing,  grand,  and  beautiful, 
throughout  the  whole  vast  range,  and  in  almost  every 


184 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


locality,  susceptible  of  the  finest  possible  appropriation 
to  ornament  and  use.  Many  a  one  of  these  noble 
forests,  and  open,  natural  parks  have  been  appropria- 
ted already  to  embellish  the  comfortable  family  estab- 
lishment which  has  been  built  either  on  its  margin,  or 
within  it;  and  thousands  more  are  standing,  as  yet 
unimproved,  but  equally  inviting  the  future  occupant 
to  their  ample  protection. 

The  moral  influences,  too,  of  lawns  and  parks  around 
or  in  the  vicinity  of  our  dwellings,  are  worthy  of  con- 
sideration. Secluded  as  many  a  country  dweller  may 
be,  away  from  the  throng  of  society,  there  is  a  sym- 
pathy in  trees  which  invites  our  thoughts,  and  draws 
our  presence  among  them  witn  unwonted  interest,  and 
in  frequent  cases,  assist  materially  in  stamping  the 
feelings  and  courses  of  our  future  lives  —  always  with 
pure  and  ennobling  sentiments  — 

"  The  groves  were  God's  first  temples." 

The  thoughtful  man,  as  he  passes  under  their  shel- 
tering boughs,  in  the  heat  of  summer,  with  uncovered 
brow,  silently  worships  the  Hand  that  formed  them 
there,  scarcely  conscious  that  their  presence  thus  ele- 
vates his  mind  to  holy  aspirations.  Among  them,  the 
speculative  man 

"Finds  tongues  in  trees,  books  in  the  running  brooks, 
Sermons  in  stones.' 

Even  children,  born  and  educated  among  groves  of 
trees,  drink  in  early  impressions,  which  follow  them 
for  good  all  their  days ;  and,  when  the  toils  of  their 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


185 


after  life  are  passed,  they  love  to  return  to  these  grate- 
ful coverts,  and  spend  their  remaining  days  amid  the 
tranquillity  of  their  presence.  Men  habituated  to  the 
wildest  life,  too,  enjoy  the  woods,  the  hills,  and  the 
mountains,  beyond  all  the  captivation  and  excitement 
of  society,  and  are  nowhere  at  rest,  but  when  in  their 
communion. 

The  love  of  forest  scenery  is  a  thing  to  be  culti- 
vated as  a  high  accomplishment,  in  those  whose  early 
associations  have  not  been  among  them.  Indeed, 
country  life  is  tame,  and  intolerable,  without  a  taste, 
either  natural  or  acquired,  foi  tine  landscape  scenery ; 
and  in  a  land  like  this,  where  the  country  gives  occu- 
pation to  so  great  a  proportion  of  its  people,  and  a 
large  share  of  those  engaged  in  the  active  and  ex- 
citing pursuits  of  populous  towns,  sigh  and  look  for- 
ward to  its  enjoyment,  every  inducement  should  be 
offered  to  cultivate  a  taste  for  those  things  which  make 
one  of  its  chief  attractions.  Nor  should  seclusion  from 
general  society,  and  a  residence  apart  from  the  bus- 
tling activity  of  the  world,  present  a  bar  to  the  due 
cultivation  of  the  taste  in  many  subjects  supposed 
to  belong  only  to  the  throng  of  association.  It  is  one 
of  the  advantages  of  .rural  life,  that  it  gives  us  time 
to  think ;  and  the  greatest  minds  of  whose  labors  in 
the  old  world  we  have  had  the  benefit,  and  of  later 
times,  in  our  own  land,  have  been  reared  chiefly  in 
the  solitude  of  the  country.  Patrick  Henry  loved  to 
range  among  the  woods,  admiring  the  leafy  magnif- 
icence of  nature,  and  to  follow  the  meandering  courses 
of  the  brooks,  with  his  hook  and  line.  Washington. 


186 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


when  treading  the  vast  solitudes  of  central  Virginia, 
with  his  surveyor's  instruments  on  his  back,  conceived 
the  wonderful  resources  of  the  great  empire  of  which 
he  will  ever  be  styled  the  "father."  The  dwelling  of 
the  late  John  C.  Calhoun,  sheltered  by  noble  trees, 
stands  on  an  elevated  swell  of  a  grand  range  of  moun- 
tain land,  and  it  was  there  that  his  prolific  genius 
ripened  for  those  burning  displays  of  thought  which 
drewx  to  him  the  affections  of  admiring  thousands. 
Henry  Clay  undoubtedly  felt  the  germ  of  his  future 
greatness  while  sauntering,  in  his  boyhood  days, 
through  the  wild  and  picturesque  slashes  of  Hanover. 
Webster,  born  amid  the  rugged  hills  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, drew  the  delightful  relish  of  rural  life,  for  which 
he  is  so  celebrated,  from  the  landscapes  which  sur- 
rounded his  early  home,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  his 
mighty  intellect  in  the  midst  of  lone  and  striking 
scenery.  Bryant  could  never  have  written  his  "Than- 
atopsis,"  his  " Rivulet,"  and  his  "Green  River,"  but 
from  the  inspiration  drawn  from  his  secluded  youthful 
home  in  the  mountains  of  Massachusetts.  Nor,  to 
touch  a  more  sacred  subject,  could  Jonathan  Edwards 
ever  have  composed  his  masterly  "  Treatise  on  the 
"Will,"  in  a  pent-up  city ;  but  owes  his  enduring  fame 
to  the  thought  and  leisure  which  he  found,  while  min- 
istering, among  the  sublime  mountains  of  the  Housa- 
tonic,  to  a  feeble  tribe  of  Stockbridge  Indians. 

And  these  random  names  are  but  a  few  of  those 
whose  love  of  nature  early  imbibed,  and  in  later  life 
enjoyed  in  their  own  calm  and  retired  homes,  amid 
the  serene  beauty  of  woods  and  waters,  which  might 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


1ST 


be  named,  as  illustrations  of  the  influence  which  fine 
scenery  may  exercise  upon  the  mind,  to  assist  in  mould- 
ing it  to  greatness.  The  following  anecdote  was  told 
us  many  years  ago,  by  a  venerable  man  in  Connec- 
ticut, a  friend  of  the  elder  Hillhouse,  of  'New  Haven, 
to  whom  that  city  is  much  indebted  for  the  magnifi- 
cent trees  by  which  it  has  become  renowned  as  "  the 
City  of  the  Elms  :  "  While  a  member  of  the  General 
Assembly  of  that  state,  when  Hillhouse  was  in  Con- 
gress, learning  that  he  had  just  returned  home  from 
the  annual  session,  our  informant,  with  a  friend,  went 
to  the  residence  of  the  statesman,  to  pay  him  a  visit. 
He  had  returned  only  that  morning,  and  on  their  way 
there,  they  met  him  near  his  house,  with  a  stout  young 
tree  on  his  shoulder,  just  taken  from  a  neighboring 
piece  of  forest,  which  he  was  about  to  transplant  in  the 
place  of  one  which  had  died  during  his  absence.  After 
the  usual  salutations,  our  friend  expressed  his  surprise 
that  he  was  so  soon  engaged  in  tree-planting,  before 
he  had  even  had  time  to  look  to  his  private  and  more 
pressing  affairs.  "Another  day  may  be  too  late/5 
replied  the  senator;  "my  tree  well  planted,  it  will 
grow  at  its  leisure,  and  I  can  then  look  to  my  own 
concerns  at  my  ease.  So,  gentlemen,  if  you  will  just 
wait  till  the  tree  is  set,  we  '11  walk  into  tht  house,  and 
settle  the  affairs  of  state  in  our  own  way/' 

Walter  Scott,  whose  deep  love  of  park  and  forest 
scenery  has  stamped  with  his  masterly  descriptions,  his' 
native  land  as  the  home  of  all  things  beautiful  and 
useful  in  trees  and  plantations,  spent  a  great  share  of 
his  leisure  time  in  planting,  and  has  written  a  most 


x88 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


instructive  e^say  on  its  practice  and  benefits.  He  puts 
into  the  mouth  of  "the  Laird  of  Dumbiedikes,"  the 
advice,  "  Be  aye  sticking  in  a  tree,  Jock ;  it  will  be 
growing  while  you  are  sleeping.5*  But  Walter  Sec 
had  no  American  soil  to  plant  his  trees  upon  ;  nor  do 
the  grandest  forest  parks  of  Scotland  show  a  tithe  of 
the  luxuriance  and  majesty  of  our  American  forests. 
Could  he  but  have  seen  the  variety,  the  symmetry, 
and  the  vast  size  of  our  oaks,  and  elms,  and  ever- 
greens, a  new  element  of  descriptive  power  would 
have  grown  out  of  the  admiration  they  had  created 
within  him ;  and  he  would  have  envied  a  people  the 
possession  of  such  exhaustless  resources  as  we  enjoy,  to 
embellish  their  homes  in  the  best  imaginable  manner, 
with  such  enduring  monuments  of  grace  and  beauty. 

To  the  miscellaneous,  or  casual  reader,  such  course  of 
remark  may  appear  merely  sublimated  nonsense.  No 
matter ;  we  are  not  upon  stilts,  talking  down  to  a  class 
of  inferior  men,  in  a  condescending  tone,  on  a  sub- 
ject above  their  comprehension;  but  we  are  address- 
ing men,  and  the  sons  of  men,  who  are  our  equals  — 
although,  like  ourself,  upon  their  farms,  taking  their 
share  in  its  daily  toils,  as  well  as  pleasures  —  and  can 
perfectly  well  understand  our  language,  and  sympa- 
thize with  our  thoughts.  They  are  the  thoughts  of 
rural  life  everywhere.  It  wras  old  Sam  Johnson,  the 
great  lexicographer,  who  lumbered  his  unwieldy  gait 
through  the  streets  of  cities  for  a  whole  life,  and  with 
all  his  vast  learning  and  wisdom,  had  no  appreciation 
of  the  charms  of  the  country,  that  said,  "Who  feeds 
fat  cattle  should  himself  be  fat;  v  as  if  the  dweller  otk 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


189 


the  fann  should  not  possess  an  idea  above  the  brutes 
around  hirn.  We  wonder  if  he  ever  supposed  a  mer- 
chant should  have  any  more  brain  than  the  parcel  that 
he  handled,  or  the  bale  which  he  rolled,  or  directed 
others  to  roll  for  him  !  But,  loving  the  solitude  of  the 
farm,  and  finding  a  thousand  objects  of  interest  and 
beauty  scattered  in  profusion,  where  those  educated 
among  artificial  objects  would  see  nothing  beyond 
things,  to  them,  vulgar  and  common-place,  in  convers- 
ing with  our  rural  friends  upon  what  concerns  their 
daily  comfort,  and  is  to  constitute  the  nifrsery  of  those 
who  succeed  them,  and  on  the  influences  which  may, 
in  a  degree,  stamp  their  future  character,  we  cannot 
forbear  such  suggestions,  connected  with  the  family 
Home,  as  may  induce  them  to  cultivate  all  those  acces- 
sories around  it,  which  may  add  to  their  pleasure  and 
contentment.    We  believe  it  was  Keats,  who  said, 

u  A  tiling  of  Beauty  is  a  joy  for  ever." 

And  the  thought  that  such  "  beauty  "  has  been  of  our 
own  creation,  or  that  our  own  hands  have  assisted  in 
its  perpetuation,  should  certainly  be  a  deep  "joy"  of 
our  life. 

We  have  remarked,  that  the  farm  house  is  the  chiet 
nursery  on  which  our  broad  country  must  rely  for  that 
healthy  infusion  of  stamina  and  spirit  into  those  men 
who,  under  our  institutions,  guide  its  destiny  and 
direct  its  councils.  They,  in  the  great  majority  of 
their  numbers,  are  natives  of  the  retired  homestead. 
It  is,  therefore,  of  high  consequence,  that  good  taste, 
intelligence,  and  correct  judgment,  should  enter  into 


190 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


all  that  surrounds  the  birth-place,  and  early  see  nes  of 
those  who  are  to  be  the  future  actors  in  the  prominent 
walks  of  life,  either  in  public  or  private  capacity ;  and 
as  the  love  of  trees  is  one  of  the  leading  elements  of 
enjoyment  amid  the  outward  scenes  of  country-life,  we 
commend  most  heartily  all  who  dwell  in  the  pure  air 
and  bright  sunshine  of  the  open  land  to  their  study 
and  cultivation. 

Every  man  who  lives  in  the  country,  be  he  a  prac- 
tical farmer  or  not,  should  plant  trees,  more  or  less. 
The  father  of  a  family  should  plant,  for  the  benefit  of 
his  children,  as  well  as  for  his  own.  The  bachelor  and 
the  childless  man  should  plant,  if  for  nothing  more 
than  to  show  that  he  has  left  so?ne  living  thing  to  per- 
petuate his  memory.  Boys  should  early  be  made 
planters.  None  but  those  who  love  trees,  and  plant 
them,  know  the  serene  pleasure  of  wratching  their 
growth,  and  anticipating  their  future  beauty  and  gran- 
deur; and  no  one  can  so  exquisitely  enjoy  their  grate- 
ful shade,  as  he  whose  hand  has  planted  and  cared  for 
them.  Planting,  too,  is  a  most  agreeable  pastime  to 
a  reflecting  mind.  It  may  be  ranked  among  the  pleas- 
ures, instead  of  the  toils  of  life.  We  have  always  so 
found  it.  There  is  no  pleasanter  sight  of  labor  than 
to  see  a  father,  with  his  young  lads  about  him,  plant- 
ing a  tree.  It  becomes  a  landmark  of  their  industry 
and  good  taste;  and  no  thinking  man  passes  a  planta- 
tion of  fine  trees  but  inwardly  blesses  the  man,  or  the 
memory  of  the  man  who  placed  them  there. 

Aside  from  all  this,  trees  properly  distributed,  give 
a  value  to  an  estate  far  beyond  the  cost  of  planting 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


191 


and  tending  their  growth,  and  which  no  other  equal 
amount  of  .abor  and  expense  upon  it  can  confer. 
Innumerable  farms  and  places  have  been  sold  at  high 
prices,  over  those  of  perhaps  greater  producing  value, 
merely  for  the  trees  which  embellished  them.  Thus, 
in  a  pecuniary  light,  to  say  nothing  of  the  pleasure 
and  luxury  they  confer,  trees  are  a  source  of  profitable 
investment. 

It  is  a  happy  feature  in  the  improving  rural  character 
of  our  country,  that  tree-planting  £nd  tree  preservation 
for  some  years  past  have  attracted  much  more  attention 
than  formerly ;  and  with  this  attention  a  better  taste  is 
prevailing  in  their  selection.  We  have  gained  bat 
little  in  the  introduction  of  many  of  the  foreign  trees 
among  us,  for  ornament.  Some  of  them  are  absolutely 
barbarous  in  comparison  with  our  American  forest 
trees,  and  their  cultivation  is  only  a  demonstration  of 
the  utter  want  of  good  taste  in  those  who  apply  them. 

For  ordinary  purposes,  but  few  exotics  should  be 
tolerated;  and  those  chiefly  in  collections,  as  curiosi- 
ties, or  for  arboretums —  in  which  latter  the  farmer  can- 
not often  indulge;  and  for  all  the  main  purposes  of 
shade,  and  use,  and  ornament,  the  trees  of  no  country 
can  equal  our  own. 

Varied  as  our  country  is,  in  soils  and  climates,  no 
particular  directions  can  be  given  as  to  the  individual 
varieties  of  tree  which  are  to  be  preferred  for  planting. 
Each  locality  has  its  own  most  appropriate  kinds,  and 
he  who  is  to  plant,  can  best  make  the  selections  most 
fitted  to  his  use.  Rapid-growing  trees,  when  of  fine 
symmetry,  and  free  from  bad  habits  in  throwing  up 


JLS2 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


suckers ;  not  liable  to  the  attacks  of  insects ;  of  early, 
dense,  and  long-continued  foliage,  are  most  to  be 
commended ;  while  their  opposites  in  character  should 
be  avoided  in  all  well-kept  grounds.  It  requires,  in 
deed,  but  a  little  thought  and  observation  to  guide 
every  one  in  the  selection  which  he  should  make,  to 
produce  the  best  effect  of  which  the  tree  itself  is 
capable. 

Giving  the  importance  we  have,  to  trees,  and  their 
planting,  it  may  be  supposed  that  we  should  discuss 
their  position  in  the  grounds  to  which  they  should  be 
appropriated.  But  no  specific  directions  can  be  given 
at  large.  All  this  branch  of  the  subject  must  be  left 
to  the  locality,  position,  and  surface  of  the  ground 
sought  to  be  improved.  A  good  tree  can  scarcely 
stand  in  a  wrong  place,  when  not  injurious  to  a  build- 
ing by  its  too  dense  shade,  or  shutting  out  its  light,  or 
prospect.  Still,  the  proper  disposition  of  trees  is  a 
study,  and  should  be  wrell  considered  before  they  be 
planted.  Bald,  unsightly  spots  should  be  covered  by 
them,  when  not  devoted  to  more  useful  objects  of  the 
farm,  either  in  pasturage  or  cultivation.  A  partial 
shading  of  the  soil  by  trees  may  add  to  its  value  for 
grazing  purposes,  like  the  woodland  pastures  of  Ken- 
tucky, where  subject  to  extreme  droughts,  or  a  scorch 
ing  sun. 

If  the  planter  feels  disposed  to  consult  authorities,  ae 
to  the  best  disposition  of  his  trees,  works  on  Landscape 
Gardening  may  be  studied ;  but  these  can  give  only 
general  hints,  and  the  only  true  course  is  to  strive  to 
make  his  grounds  look  as  much  like  nature  herself  as 


RDRAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


193 


possible — for  nature  seldom  makes  mistakes  in  her 
designs.  To  conclude  a  course  of  remark,  which  the 
plain  farmer,  cultivating  his  land  for  its  yearly  profit 
alone,  may  consider  as  foreign  to  the  subject  of  our 
work,  we  would  not  recommend  any  one  to  plant  trees 
who  is  not  willing  to  spend  the  necessary  time  to  nurse 
and  tend  them  afterward,  till  they  are  out  of  harm's 
way,  and  well  established  in  a  vigorous  growth.  All 
this  must  be  taken  into  the  account,  for  it  is  better  to 
have  even  but  a  few  trees,  and  those  what  trees  should 
be,  than  a  whole  forest  of  stinted  things,  writhing  and 
pining  through  a  course  of  sickly  existence. 

A  chapter  might  also  be  written  upon  the  proper 
mode  of  taking  up  and  planting  trees,  but  as  this 
would  lead  us  to  a  subject  more  directly  belonging  to 
another  department,  the  proper  authorities  on  that 
head  riust  be  co  lsulted. 


RXJKAIi  ARCHITECTURE 


FRUIT  GAEDEN-  -OECHAEDS. 


As  the  fruit  garden  and  orchards  are  usually  near 
appendages  to  the  dwelling  and  out-buildings,  a  few 
remarks  as  to  their  locality  and  distribution  may  be 
appropriate.  The  first  should  always  be  near  the 
house,  both  for  convenience  in  gathering  its  fruits,  and 
for  its  due  protection  from  the  encroachments  of  those 
not  entitled  to  its  treasures.  It  should,  if  possible, 
adjoin  the  kitchen  garden,  for  convenience  of  access ; 
as  fruit  is,  or  should  be,  an  important  item  in  the  daily 
consumption  of  every  family  where  it  can  be  grown 
and  afforded.  A  sheltered  spot,  if  to  be  had,  should 
be  devoted  to  this  object;  or  if  not,  its  margin,  on  the 
exposed  side,  should  be  set  with  the  hardiest  trees  to 
which  it  is  appropriated  —  as  the  apple.  The  fruit  gar- 
den, proper,  may  also  contain  the  smaller  fruits,  as 
they  are  termed,  as  the  currant,  gooseberry,  raspberry, 
and  whatever  other  shrub-fruits  are  grown ;  while  the 
quince,  the  peach,  the  apricot,  nectarine,  plum,  cherry, 
pear,  and  apple  may,  in  the  order  they  are  named, 
stand  in  succession  behind  them,  the  taller  and  nore 
hardy  growth  of  each  successive  variety  rising'  gher, 
and  protecting  its  less  hardy  and  aspiring  n:  ^hbor. 
The  soil  for  all  these  varieties  of  tree  is  supposed  to  be 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


195 


congenial,  and  our  remarks  will  only  be  directed  to 
their  proper  distribution. 

The  aspect  for  the  fruit  garden  should,  if  possible^ 
front  the  south,  south-east,  or  south-west,  in  a  northerly 
climate.  In  the  Middle  and  Southern  States  the  ex- 
posure is  of  less  consequence.  Currants,  gooseberries 
raspberries,  &c,  should,  for  their  most  productive  bear 
ing,  and  the  highest  quality  of  their  fruits,  be  set  at 
least  four  feet  apart,  in  the  rows,  and  the  rows  six  feet 
distant  from  oach  other,  that  there  may  be  abundant 
room  to  cultivate  them  with  the  plow,  and  kept  clean 
of  weeds  and  grass.  The  quince,  peach,  apricot,  nec- 
tarine, and  plum  should  be  16  feet  apart,,  each  way. 
The  pear,  if  on  quince  stock,  may  be  12  feet  apart,  and 
if  on  its  own  stock,  20  to  24  feet;  while  the  apple 
should  always  be  80  to  36  feet  apart,  to  let  in  the 
requisite  degree  of  sun  and  air  to  ripen  as  well  as  give 
growth,  color,  and  flavor  to  its  fruit.  The  tendency  of 
almost  all  planters  of  fruit  trees  is  to  set  them  too 
close,  and  many  otherwise  fine  fruit  gardens  are  utterly 
ruined  by  the  compact  manner  in  which  they  are 
planted.  Trees  are  great  consumers  of  the  atmosphere  ; 
every  leaf  is  a  lung,  inhaling  and  respiring  the  gases, 
and  if  sufficient  breathing  room  be  not  allowed  them, 
the  tree  sickens,  and  pines  for  the  want  of  it ;  there- 
fore, e^ery  fruit  tree,  and  fruit-bearing  shrub  should 
be  so  placed  that  the  summer  sun  can  shine  on  every 
part  of  its  surface  at  some  hour  of  the  day.  In  such 
position,  the  fruit  will  reach  its  maximum  of  flavor, 
size,  and  perfection. 

The  ground,  too,  should  be  rich;  and,  to  have  the 


196 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


greatest  benefit  of  the  soil,  no  crops  should  be  grown 
among  the  trees,  after  they  have  arrived  at  their  full 
maturity  of  bearing.  Thus  planted,  and  nursed,  with 
good  selections  of  varieties,  both  the  fruit  garden  and 
the  orchard  become  one  of  the  most  ornamental,  as 
well  as  most  profitable  portions  of  the  farm. 

In  point  of  position,  as  affecting  the  appearance  of 
the  homestead,  the  fruit  garden  should  stand  on  the 
weatJier-dde  of  the  dwelling,  so  as,  although  protected, 
in  its  several  varieties,  by  itself,  when  not  altogether 
sheltered  by  some  superior  natural  barrier,  it  should 
appear  to  shelter  both  the  dwelling  and  kitchen  gar- 
dens, which  adjoin  them. 

As  this  is  a  subject  intended  to  be  but  incidentally 
touched  in  these  pages,  and  only  then  as  immediately 
connected  in  its  general  character  with  the  dwelling 
house  and  its  attachments,  we  refrain  from  going  into 
any  particulars  of  detail  concerning  it.  It  is  also  a 
subject  to  which  we  are  strongly  attached,  and  gladly 
would  we  have  a  set  chat  with  our  readers  upon  it ; 
but  as  the  discussion  for  so  broad  a  field  as  we  should 
have  to  survey,  would  be  in  many  points  arbitrary, 
and  unfitting  to  local  information  as  to  varieties,  and 
particular  cultivation,  we  refer  the  reader,  with  great 
pleasure,  to  the  several  treatises  of  Downing,  and 
Thomas,  and  Barry,  on  this  interesting  topic,  with 
which  the  public  are  fortunately  in  possession ;  observ- 
ing, only,  that  there  is  no  one  item  of  rural  economy 
to  which  our  attention  can  be  given,  which  yields  more 
of  luxury,  health,  and  true  enjoyment,  both  to  the 
body  and  the  mind,  than  the  cultivation  of  good  fruits. 


RTTRAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


197 


HOW  TO  LAY  OUT  A  KITCHEN  GAKDEN. 


The  kitchen  garden  yields  more  necessaries  and  com- 
forts to  the  family,  than  any  other  piece  of  ground  on 
the  premises.  It  is,  of  consequence,  necessary  that  it 
be  so  located  and  planned  as  to  be  ready  of  access, 
and  yield  the  greatest  possible  quantity  of  products 
for  the  labor  bestowed  upon  it;  and  as  locality  and 
plan  have  much  to  do  with  the  labor  bestowed  upon 
it  and  the  productions  it  may  yield,  both  these  sub- 
jects should  be  considered. 

As  to  locality,  the  kitchen  garden  should  lie  in  tho 
warmest  and  most  sheltered  spot  which  may  be  con- 
venient to  the  kitchen  of  the  house.  It  should,  in 
connection  with  that,  be  convenient  of  access  to  the 
dung-yards  of  the  stables.  The  size  may  be  such  as 
your  necessities  or  your  convenience  may  demand. 
The  shape,  either  a  parallelogram  or  a  square;  for  it 
will  be  recollected,  that  this  is  a  place  allotted,  not  for 
a  show  or  pleasure  ground,  but  for  profit.  If  the  gar- 
den be  large,  this  shape  will  better  allow  the  use  of  the 
plow  to  turn  up  the  soil,  which,  in  a  large  garden,  is  a 
much  cheaper,  and,  when  properly  done,  a  better  mode 


198 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


than  to  spade  it ;  and  if  small,  and  it  be  worked  with 
the  spade,  right  lines  are  easier  made  with  the  spade 
than  curved  ones.  One  or  more  walks,  at  least  eight 
feet  wide,  should  be  made,  leading  from  &  broad  gate, 
or  bars,  through  which  a  cart  and  horse,  or  oxen,  may 
enter,  to  draw  in  manure,  or  carry  out  the  vegetables ; 
and  if  such  walk,  or  walks,  do  not  extend  around  the 
garden,  w^hich,  if  in  a  large  one,  they  should  do,  a 
sufficient  area  should  be  thrown  out  at  the  farther  ex- 
tremity, to  turn  the  cart  upon.  If  the  s*oiV  be  free,  and 
stony,  the  stones  should  be  taken  out  clean,  when 
large  —  and  if  small,  down  to  the  size  of  a  hen's  egg- — 
and  the  surface  made  as  level  as  possible,  for  a  loose 
soil  will  need  no  draining.  If  the  soil  be  a  clay,  or 
clayey  loam,  it  should  be  underdrained  two  and  a  half 
feet,  to  he  perfect,  and  the  draining  so  planned  as  to 
lead  off  to  a  lower  spot  outside.  This  draining  warms 
the  soil,  opens  it  for  filtration,  and  makes  it  friable. 
Then,  properly  fenced,  thoroughly  manured,  and  plowed 
deep,  and  left  rough — no  matter  how  rough  —  in  the 
fall  of  the  year,  and  as  late  before  the  setting  in  of 
winter  as  you  dare  risk  it,  that  part  of  the  preparation 
is  accomplished. 

The  permanent  or  wide  walks  of  the  garden,  after 
being  laid  out  and  graded,  should  never  be  plowed  nor 
disturbed,  except  by  the  hoe  and  rake,  to  keep  down 
the  weeds  and  grass ;  yet,  if  a  close,  and  well-shorn 
grass  turf  be  kept  upon  them,  it  is  perhaps  the  cheap- 
est and  most  cleanly  way  of  keeping  the  walks.  They 
need  only  cutting  off  close  with  the  hand-hook,  in 
summer. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


199 


We  have  known  a  great  many  people,  after  laying 
out  a  kitchen  garden,  and  preparing  it  for  use,  fill  it 
up  with  fruit  trees,  supposing  that  vegetables  will  grow 
quite  as  well  with  them  af  without.  This  is  a  wide 
mistake.  No  tree  larger  than  a  currant  or  gooseberry 
bush  should  ever  stand  in  a  vegetable  garden.  These 
fruits  being  partially  used  in  the  cooking  departments, 
as  much  in  the  way  of  vegetables,  as  of  fruits,  and 
small  in  size,  may  be  permitted  ;  and  they,  contrary 
to  the  usual  practice,  should  always  stand  in  open 
ground,  where  they  can  have  all  the  benefits  of  the 
sun  and  rain  to  ripen  the  fruit  to  perfection,  as  well  as 
to  receive  the  cultivation  they  need,  instead  of  being 
placed  under  fences  around  the  sides  of  the  garden, 
where  they  are  too  frequently  neglected,  and  become 
the  resort  of  vermin,  or  make  prolific  harbors  for  weeds. 

Along  the  main  walks,  or  alleys,  the  borders  for 
perennial  plants,  as  well  as  the  currant  and  gooseberry 
bushes,  should  be  made  —  for  the  plow  should  run  par- 
allel to,  and  not  at  right  angles  with  them.  Here  may 
stand  the  rhubarbs,  the  sea  kales,  the  various  herbs,  or 
even  the  asparagus  beds,  if  a  particular  quarter  be  not 
set  apart  for  them ;  and,  if  it  be  important,  a  portion 
of  these  main  borders  may  be  appropriated  to  the 
more  common  flowers  and  small  shrubbery,  if  desired 
to  cultivate  them  in  a  plain  way,  but  not  a  peach, 
apricot,  or  any  other  larger  tree  than  a  currant  or  rasp  • 
berry,  should  come  within  it.  They  not  only  shade 
the  small  plants,  but  suck  up  and  rob  them  of  their 
food  and  moisture,  and  keep  off  tRe  sun,  and  prevent 
the  circulation  of  air — than  which  nothing  needs  all 


200 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


these  more  than  garden  vegetables,  to  have  them  ii 
high  perfection.  If  it  be  necessary,  by  means  of  i 
cold  exposure  on  the  one  side,  to  have  a  close  planta- 
tion of  shrubbery  to  screen  the  garden,  let  it  be  out- 
side the  fence,  rather  than  within  it ;  but  if  within,  let 
there  be  a  broad  walk  between  such  shrubbery  and 
the  garden  beds,  as  their  roots  will  extend  under  the 
vegetables,  and  rob  them  of  their  food. 

A  walk,  alley,  or  cartway,  on  the  sides  of  the  gar- 
den, is  always  better  next  to  the  fence,  than  to  fill  that 
space  with  anything  else,  as  it  is  usually  shaded  for  a 
portion  of  the  day,  and  may  be  better  afforded  for  such 
waste  purposes  than  the  open,  sunny  ground  within. 

It  will  be  observed  that  inarket  gardeners,  men  who 
always  strive  to  make  the  most  profit  from  their  land 
and  labor,  and  obtain  the  lest  vegetables,  cultivate 
them  in  open  fields.  Not  a  tree,  nor  even  a  bush  is 
permitted  to  stand  near  the  growing  crop,  if  they  can 
prevent  it ;  and  where  one  is  not  stinted  in  the  area  of 
his  domain,  their  example  should  be  followed. 

A  word  upon  plowing  gardens.  Clays,  or  clayey 
loams,  should  always  be  manured  and  plowed  in  the 
fall,  just  before  the  setting  in  of  the  winter  frosts.  A 
world  of  pounding  and  hammering  of  lumps,  to  make 
them  fine,  in  spring,  is  saved  by  fall  plowing,  besides 
incorporating  the  manure  more  thoroughly  with  the 
soil,  as  well  as  freezing  out  and  destroying  the  eggs  of 
worms  and  insects  which  infest  it.  Thrown  up  deeply 
and  roughly  with  the  plow  or  spade,  the  frosts  act 
mechanically  upon  the  soil,  and  slack  and  pulverise 
it  so  thoroughly  that  a  heavy  raking  in  early  spring,  is 


KURAL  AECHITECTURE. 


201 


all  that  becomes  necessary  to  put  it  in  the  finest  con- 
dition  for  seeds,  and  make  it  perhaps  the  very  best  and 
most  productive  of  all  garden  soils  whatever.  A  light 
sandy  loam  is  better  to  lie  compact  in  winter,  and 
manured  and  turned  up  in  early  spring.  Its  friable 
nature  leaves  it  always  open  and  light,  and  at  all  times 
in  the  absence  of  frost,  accessible  to  the  *spade  or  the 
hoe.  On  these  accounts,  it  is  usually  the  most  desir- 
able and  convenient  soil  for  the  kitchen  garden,  and 
on  the  whole,  generally  preferred  where  either  kind 
may  be  a  matter  simply  of  choice. 


202 


BURAL  ARCHITECTUIUC  ■ 


FLO  WEES. 


Start  not,  gentle  reader!  We  are  not  about  to  in- 
flict upon  you  a  dissertation  on  Pelargoniums,  Calla- 
Ethiopias,  Japonicas,  and*  such  like  unmentionable 
terms,  that  bring  to  your  mind  the  green-house,  and 
forcing-house,  and  all  the  train  of  expense  and  vexa- 
tion attending  them;  but  we  desire  to  have  a  short 
familiar  conversation  about  what  is  all  around  you,  or 
if  not  around  you,  should  be,  and  kept  there,  with 
very  little  pains  or  labor  on  your  part.  Still,  if  you 
dislike  the  subject,  just  hand  this  part  of  our  book 
over  to  your  excellent  wife,  or  daughters,  or  sisters,  as 
the  case  may  be,  and  we  will  talk  to  them  about  this 
matter. 

Flowers  have  their  objects,  and  were  made  for  our 
use  and  pleasure ;  otherwise,  God  would  never  have 
strewed  them,  as  he  has,  so  bountifully  along  our  paths, 
and  filled  the  world  with  their  fragrance  and  beauty. 
Like  all  else  beautiful,  which  He  made,  and  pro- 
nounced "good,"  flowers  have  been  objects  of  ad- 
miration and  love  since  man's  creation;  and  their 
cultivation  has  ever  been  a  type  of  civilization  and 
refinement  among  all  people  who  have  left  written 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


203 


records  behind  them.  Flowers  equally  become  the 
cottage  and  the  palace,  in  their  decoration.  The  hum- 
blest cottager,  and  the  mightiest  monarch,  have  equally 
admired  their  beauty  and  their  odor ;  and  the  whole 
train  of  mortals  between,  have  devoted  a  portion  of 
their  time  and  thoughts  to  the  development  of  their 
peculiar  properties. 

But  let  that  pass.  Plain  country  people  as  we  are, 
there  are  enough  of  sufficient  variety  all  around  us, 
to  engage  our  attention,  and  give  us  all  that  we  desire 
to  embellish  our  homes,  and  engage  the  time  which 
we  have  to  devote  to  them.  Among  the  wild  flowers, 
in  the  mountains  and  hills  of  the  farthest  North,  on 
the  margin  of  their  hidden  brooks,  where 

"Floats  the  scarce-rooted  watercress  ; " 

and  on  their  barren  sides,  the  tiny  violet  and  the 
laurel  bloom,  each  in  their  season,  with  unwonted 
beauty ;  and,  sloping  down  on  to  the  plains  beneath, 
blush  out  in  all  their  summer  garniture,  the  wild  rose 
and  the  honeysuckle.  On,  through  the  Middle  States, 
the  lesser  flowers  of  early  spring  throw  out  a  thousand 
brilliant  dyes,  and  are  surrounded  by  a  host  of  sum- 
mer  plants,  vieing  with  each  other  in  the  exuberance 
of  their  tints.  On  the  Alleghanies,  through  all  their 
vast  range,  grow  up  the  magnificent  dogwood,  kal- 
mia,  and  rhodendendron,  spangling  mile  upon  mile  of 
their  huge  sides  and  tops  with  white,  and  covering 
crags  and  precipices  of  untold  space  with  their  blushing 
splendor.  Further  west,  on  the  prairies,  and  oak  open- 
ings, and  in  the  deep  woods,  too,  of  the  great  lakes, 
9 


204 


MTKAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


and  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  with  the  earliest  grassn 
shoot  up,  all  over  the  land,  a  succession  of  flowers, 
which  in  variety  and  profusion  of  shape,  and  color, 
and  odor,  outvie  all  the  lilies  of  the  gardens  of  Solo- 
mon ;  and  so  they  continue  till  the  autumnal  frosts  cut 
down  both  grass  and  flower  alike.  Further  south t 
along  the  piney  coast,  back  through  the  hills  and  over 
the  vast  reach  of  cotton  and  sugar  lands,  another  class 

flowers  burst  out  from  their  natural  coverts  in  equal 
glory ;  and  the  magnolia,  and  the  tulip-tree,  and  the 
wild  orange  throw  a  perfume  along  the  air,  like  the 
odors  of  Palestine.  In  the  deep  lagoons  of  the  south- 
ern rivers,  too,  float  immense  water-lilies,  laying  their 
great  broad  leaves,  and  expanded  white  and  yellow 
flowers,  upon  the  surface,  wrhich  the  waters  of  the  Nile 
in  the  days  of  Cleopatra  never  equaled.  And  these 
are  nature's  wild  productions  only. 

Flowers  being  cultivated,  not  for  profit,  but  for  show 
and  amusement,  need  not  intrude  upon  the  time  which 
is  required  to  the  more  important  labors  of  the  farm. 
A  little  time,  given  at  such  hours  when  it  can  be  best 
spared,  will  set  all  the  little  flower-beds  in  order,  and 
keep  the  required  shrubbery  of  the  place  in  trim  —  and 
should  not  be  denied  in  any  family  who  enjoy  a  taste 
for  them.  Even  the  simplest  of  their  kind,  when 
carefully  disposed,  produce  a  fine  effect ;  and  the  hardy 
bulbous,  and  tuberous-rooted  plants  require  but  slight 
aid  in  producing  the  highest  perfection  of  their  bloom ; 
while  the  fibrous-rooted  perenials,  and  the  flowering 
shrubs,  bloom  on  from  year  to  year,  alnost  uncared  for 
and  untouched. 


BUBAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


The  annuals  require  the  most  attention.  Their  seeds 
must  be  planted  and  gathered  every  year ;  they  must 
be  weeded  and  nursed  with  more  care  than  the  others ; 
yet  they  richly  repay  all  this  trouble  in  their  fresh 
bloom  when  the  others  are  gone,  and  will  carry  their 
rich  flowers  far  into  the  frosts  of  autumn,  when  their 
hardier  companions  have  composed  themselves  for  a 
winter's  rest. 

The  position  of  the  flower-bed,  or  borders,  may  be 
various.  As  a  matter  of  taste,  however,  they  should 
be  near  the  house,  and  in  view  of  the  windows  of  the 
most  frequented  rooms.  They  thus  give  more  enjoy- 
ment in  their  sight,  than  when  but  occasionally  seen 
in  special  visits ;  and  such  spots  can  usually  be  set 
apart  for  them.  If  not  in  the  way  of  more  important 
things,  they  should  always  be  thus  placed,  where  they 
are  ever  objects  of  interest  and  attraction. 

The  ground  which  flowering  plants  occupy  should 
be  devoted  to  them  alone,  and  the  soil  be  made  deep 
and  rich.  They  should  not  be  huddled  up,  nor  crowded, 
but  stand  well  apart,  and  have  plenty  of  breathing- 
room  for  their  branches  and  leaves,  and  space  for  the 
spread  of  their  roots.  They  are  consumers  of  the  fer- 
tilizing gases,  and  require,  equally  with  other  plants, 
their  due  supply  of  manures — which  also  adds  to  the 
brilliance  and  size  of  their  bloom,  as  well  as  to  the 
growth  of  their  steins.  Their  roots  should  be  protected 
in  winter  by  coarse  litter  thrown  over  them,  particu- 
larly the  earlier  flowering  plants,  as  it  gives  them  an 
early  and  rapid  start  in  the  spring. 

Tn  variety,  we  need  scarcely  recommend  what  may 


206 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


be  most  desirable.    The  crocus,  and  snowdrop  are 

among  (if  not  quite)  the  earliest  in  bloom ;  and  to 
these  follow  the  hyacinth,  and  daffodil,  the  jonquil, 
and  many-varied  family  of  Narcissus,  the  low-headed 
hearts-ease,  or  pansy ;  with  them,  too,  comes  the  flow- 
ering-almond, the  lilac,  and  another  or  two  lowering 
shrubs.  Then  follow  the  tulips,  in  all  their  gorgeous 
and  splendid  variety  of  single,  double,  and  fringed. 
To  these  follow  the  great  peonies,  in  their  full,  dash- 
ing colors  of  crimson,  white  and  pink,  and  the  tree- 
like snow-ball,  or  guelder-rose.  By  the  side  of  these 
hangs  out  the  monthly-trumpet-honeysuckle,  gracing 
the  columns  of  your  veranda,  porch,  or  window,  and 
the  large  Siberian  honeysuckle,  with  its  white  and  pink 
flowers  ;  and  along  with  them,  the  various  Iris  family, 
or  fleur-de-lis,  reminding  one  of  France  and  the  Bour- 
bons, the  Prussian  lilac,  and  the  early  phloxes.  Then 
blush  out,  in  all  their  endless  variety  of  shade  and 
tint,  from  the  purest  white  to  the  deepest  purple,  the 
whole  vast  family  of  roses ;  and  in  stature,  from  the 
humblest  twig  that  leans  its  frail  stem  upon  the  ground, 
up  to  the  hardy  climber,  whose  delicious  clusters  hang 
over  your  chamber  window ;  and  a  month  of  fragrance 
and  beauty  of  these  completes  the  succession  of  bulbs, 
and  tubers,  and  perennial  plants  and  shrubs  —  scores 
of  which  have  not  been  noticed. 

Now  commence  the  annuals,  which  may  carry  you 
a  month  further  into  the  season,  when  the  flaunting 
dahlia  of  every  hue,  and  budding  from  its  plant  of 
every  size,  from  the  height  of  little  Tommy,  who  is 
just  toddling  out  with  his  mother  to  watch  the  firsi 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


2b  * 


opening  flower,  up  to  the  top  of  his  father's  hat,  as  he 
stands  quite  six  feet,  to  hold  the  little  fellow  up  to 
try  to  smell  of  another,  which,  like  all  the  rest,  has 
no  sign  of  odor.  Then  come,  after  a  long  retinue  of 
different  things  —  among  which  we  always  count  the 
morning-glory,  or  convolvulus,  running  up  the  kitchen 
windows, —  the  great  sun-flower,  which  thrown  his 
broad  disk  high  over  the  garden  fence,  always  cheerful, 
and  always  glowing  —  the  brilliant  tribe  of  asters, 
rich,  varied,  and  beautiful,  running  far  into  the  autum- 
nal frosts ;  and,  to  close  our  floral  season,  the  chrysan- 
themum, which,  well  cared-for,  blooms  out  in  the  open 
air,  and,  carefully  taken  up  and  boxed,  will  stay  with 
us,  in  the  house,  till  Christmas.  Thus  ends  the  bloom- 
ing year.  Now,  if  you  would  enjoy  a  pleasure  per- 
fectly pure,  which  has  no  alloy,  save  an  occasional 
disappointment  by  casualty,  and  make  home  interest- 
ing beyond  all  other  places,  learn  first  to  love,  then  to 
get,  and  next  to  cultivate  flowers. 


208 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


FAEM  COTTAGES. 


Altogether  too  little  attention  has  been  paid  in  our 
country  to  these  most  useful  appendages  to  the  farm, 
both  in  their  construction  and  appearance.  Nothing 
adds  more  to  the  feeling  of  comfort,  convenience,  and 
home  expression  in  the  farm,  than  the  snug-built  labor- 
ers' cottage  upon  it.  The  cottage  also  gives  the  farm 
an  air  of  respectability  and  dignity.  The  laborer 
should,  if  not  so  sumptuously,  be  as  comfortably 
housed  and  sheltered  as  his  employer.  This  is  quite 
as  much  to  the  interest  of  such  employer  as  it  is  bene- 
ficial to  the  health  and  happiness  of  the  laborer. 
Building  is  so  cheap  in  America,  that  the  difference  in 
cost  between  a  snugly-finished  cottage,  and  a  rickety, 
open  tenement,  is  hardly  to  be  taken  into  consideration, 
as  compared  with  the  higher  health,  and  increased 
enjoyment  of  the  laborer  and  his  family ;  while  every 
considerate  employer  knows  that  cheerfulness  and 
contentment  of  disposition,  which  are  perhaps  more 
promoted  by  good  home  accommodations  for  the  work- 
ingman  than  by  any  other  influence,  are  strong  incen- 
tives to  increased  labor  on  his  part,  and  more  fidelity 
i  its  application. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


209 


A  landed  estate,  of  whatever  extent,  with  its  re- 
spectable farm  house,  in  its  own  expressive  style  of 
construction,  relieved  and  set  off  by  its  attendant  cot- 
tages, either  contiguous,  or  remote,  and  built  in  their 
proper  character,  leaves  nothing  wanting  to  fill  the 
picture  upon  which  one  loves  to  gaze  in  the  contem- 
plation of  country  life ;  and  without  these  last  in 
clue  keeping  with  the  chief  structures  of  the  estate,  a 
blank  is  left  in  its  completeness  and  finish.  The  little 
embellishments  which  may  be  given,  by  way  of  archi- 
tectural arrangement,  or  the  conveniences  in  accom- 
modation, are,  in  almost  all  cases,  appreciated  by  those 
who  occupy  them,  and  have  an  influence  upon  their 
character  and  conduct ;  while  the  trifling  decorations 
which,  may  be  added  in  the  way  of  shrubbery,  trees, 
and  flowering  plants,  costing  little  or  nothing  in  their 
planting  and  keejDing,  give  a  charm  to  the  humblest 
abode. 

The  position  of  cottages  on  a  farm  should  be  con- 
trolled by  considerations  of  convenience  to  the  place 
of  labor,  and  a  proper  economy  in  their  construction ; 
and  hardly  a  site  can  be  inappropriate  which  ensures 
these  requirements.  In  the  plans  which  are  submitted, 
due  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  comfort  of  those 
who  inhabit  them,  as  well  as  to  picturesque  effect  in 
the  cottage  itself.  Decency,  order,  and  respectability 
are  thus  given  to  the  estate,  and  to  those  who  inhabit 
the  cottages  upon  it,  as  well  as  to  those  whose  more 
fortunate  position  in  life  has  given  the  enjoyment 
of  a  higbei  luxury  m  the  occupancy  of  its  chief 
mansion. 


210 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


On  all  estates  where  the  principal  dwelling  is  located 
at  any  considerable  distance  from  the  public  road,  or 
where  approached  by  a  side  road  shut  off  from  the 
highway  by  a  gate,  a  small  cottage,  by  way  of  lodge, 
or  laborer's  tenement,  should  be  located  at  or  near  the 
entrance.  Such  appendage  is  not  only  ornamental  in 
itself,  but  gives  character  to  the  place,  and  security  to 
the  enclosure;  in  guarding  it  from  improper  intrusion, 
as  well  as  to  receive  and  conduct  into  the  premises 
those  who  either  reside  upon,  or  have  business  within 
it.  It  is  thus  a  sort  of  sentry-box,  as  well  as  a  laborer's 
residence. 


Page  211 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


213 


Design  I. 

This  cottage  is  10  feet  high,  from  the  sill  to  the 
plates,  and  may  be  built  of  wood,  with  a  slight  frame 
composed  of  sills  and  plates  only,  and  planked  up 
and  clown  (vertically)  and  battened ;  or  grooved  and 
tongued,  and  matched  close  together;  or  it  may  be 
framed  throughout  with  posts  and  studs,  and  covered 
with  rough  boards,  and  over  these  clapboards,  and 
lathed  and  plastered  inside.  The  first  mode  would  be 
the  cheapest,  although  not  so  warm  and  durable  as  the 
other,  yet  quite  comfortable  when  warmed  by  a  stove. 
On  the  second  plan  of  building,  it  will  cost  near  or 
quite  double  the  amount  of  the  first,  if  neatly  painted. 
A  small  brick  chimney  should  rest  upon  the  floor 
overhead,  in  the  side  of  which,  at  least  a  foot  above 
the  chamber  floor,  should  be  inserted  an  earthen  or 
iron  thimble,  to  receive  the  stovepipe  and  guard 
against  fire;  unless  a  flat  stone,  14  to  16  inches  square, 
and  2  to  4  inches  thick,  with  a  pipe-hole  —  which  is 
the  better  plan  —  should  rest  on  the  floor  immediately 
over  the  pipe.  This  stone  should  be,  also,  the  founda- 
tion of  the  chimney,  which  should  pass  immediately 
up  through  the  ridge  of  the  roof,  and,  for  effect,  in  the 

center,  longitudinally,  of  the  house.    Such  position 
9* 


214 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE* 


will  not  interfere  with  the  location  of  the  stove,  which 
may  be  placed  in  any  part  of  the  room,  the  pipe  reach- 
ing the  chimney  by  one  or  more  elbows. 

INTERIOR  ARRANGEMENT. 

The  main  body  of  this  cottage  is  18x12  feet,  with  a 
lean-to,  8  feet  wide,  running  its  whole  length  in  rear. 
This  lean-to  may  be  8  or  9  inches  lower,  on  the  floor, 
than  the  main  room,  and  divided  into  a  passage,  (lead- 
ing to  an  open  wood-house  in  rear,  10x12  feet,  with  a 
shed  roof, )  a  large  closet,  and  a  bedroom,  as  may  be 
required ;  or,  the  passage  end  may  be  left  open  at  the 
side,  for  a  wood  shelter,  or  other  useful  purpose.  The 
roof,  which  is  raftered,  boarded,  and  shingled  in  the 
usual  mode,  is  well  spread  over  the  gables,  as  well  as 
over  the  front  and  rear  —  say  18  inches.  The  porch 
in  front  will  give  additional  convenience  in  summer, 
as  a  place  to  sit,  or  eat  under,  and  its  posts  so  fitted 
with  grooves  as  to  let  in  rough  planks  for  winter  en- 
closure in  front  and  at  one  end,  leaving  the  entrance 
only,  at  the  least  windy,  or  stormy  side.  The  extra 
coct  of  such  preparation,  with  the  planks,  which  should 
bw  li  or  li  inches  thick,  and  jointed,  would  not 
exceed  ten  or  fifteen  dollars.  This  would  make  an 
ar-mirable  wood-house  for  the  winter,  and  a  perfect 
spaggery  for  a  small  family.  While  in  its  summer 
dress,  with  the  porch  opened  —  the  planks  taken  out 
and  laid  overhead,  across  the  beams  connecting  the 
porch  with  the  house  —  it  would  present  an  object  of 
quiet  comfort  and  beauty.    A  hop  vine  or  honeysuckle 


S  VRAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


215 


might  be  trained  outside  the  posts,  and  give  it  all  the 
shade  required. 

In  a  stony  country,  where  the  adjoining  enclosures 
are  of  stone,  this  cottage  may  be  built  of  stone,  also, 
at  about  double  the  cost  of  wood.  This  would  save 
the  expense  of  paint,  or  wash  of  any  kind,  besides  the 
greater  character  of  durability  and  substance  it  would 
add  to  the  establishment.  Trees,  of  course,  should 
shelter  it;  and  any  little  out-buildings  that  may  be 
required  should  be  nestled  under  a  screen  of  vines 
and  shrubbery  near  by. 

This  being  designed  as  the  humblest  and  cheapest 
kind  of  cottage,  where  the  family  occupy  only  a  single 
room,  the  cost  would  be  small.  On  the  plan  first 
named,  stained  with  a  coarse  wash,  it  could  be  built 
for  $100.  On  the  second  plan,  well-framed  of  sills, 
plates,  posts,  studs,  &c.  &c,  covered  with  vertical 
boarding  and  battens,  or  clapboarded,  and  well  painted 
in  oil,  it  might  cost  $150  to  $200.  Stone,  or  brick, 
without  paint,  would  add  but  little,  if  anything  in  cost 
over  the  last  sum.  The  ceiling  of  the  main  floor  is  8 
feet  high,  and  a  low  chamber  or  garret  is  afforded 
above  it,  into  which  a  swing-step  ladder  ascends ;  and 
when  not  in  use,  it  may  be  hung  to  the  ceiling  over- 
head by  a  common  hook  and  staples. 


216 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


Design  IL 

This  cottage  is  a  grade  beyond  the  one  just  described, 
both  in  appearance  and  accommodation.  It  is  20x16 
feet  on  the  ground,  with  a  rear  wing  26x8  feet  in  area. 
The  main  body  is  10  feet  high,  to  the  roof,  vertically 
boarded  and  battened.  A  snug,  half-open  (or  it  may 
be  closed,  as  convenience  may  require,)  porch  shelters 
the  front  door,  5x4  feet  in  area.  The  cottage  has  a 
square  or  hipped  roof,  of  a  30°  pitch  from  a  horizontal 
line,  which  spreads  full  two  feet  over  the  walls  and 
bracketed  beneath.  The  rear  wing  retreats  two  feet 
from  the  wall  line  of  the  main  building,  and  has  also 
a  hipped  roof  of  the  same  pitch  as  the  main  one,  with 
eight-feet  posts.  The  open  end  of  the  wing  advances 
6  feet  toward  the  front  of  the  main  part  for  wood-house 
and  storage.  The  construction  of  this  is  in  the  same 
style  as  Design  I.  The  windows  are  plain,  two-sashed, 
of  six  lights  each,  8x12  glass  in  front,  and  8x10  in 
the  rear. 

INTERIOR    AREAKGSMEN  T. 

The  front  door  opens  into  a  common  living  room, 
16x12  feet,  with  two  windows,  in  which  is  a  stove- 
chimney  running  up  from  the  main  floor  next  the  par- 
tition, or  placed  over  it  in  the  chamber,  and  ruimiD? 


RXJKAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


up  through  the  center  of  the  roof.  On  one  side  of  the 
living  room  is  a  bedroom,  10x8  feet,  with  two  win- 
dows. Next  to  this  bedroom  is  a  large  closet,  8x6 
feet,  with  one  window,  and  shelves,  and  tight  cupboard 
within.  These  rooms  are  9  feet  high,  and  over  them 
is  a  chamber,  or  garret,  20x16  feet,  entered  by  a  swing 
step  ladder,  as  in  Design  No.  I.  This  garret  is  lighted 
by  a  small  dormer  window  in  the.  rear  roof,  over  the 
shed  or  lean-to.  A  bed  may  be  located  in  this  cham- 
ber, or  it  may  serve  as  a  storage  and  lumber-room. 

The  wing  contains  a  small  kitchen,  in  case  the  living 
room  be  not  occupied  for  that  purpose,  10x8  feet, 
lighted  by  a  side-window,  and  having  a  small  chimney 
in  the  rear  wall.  It  may  contain,  also,  a  small  closet, 
3  feet  square.  A  door  passes  from  this  small  kitchen 
into  the  wood-house,  which  is  16x8  feet,  or  with  its 
advance  L,  14  feet,  in  the  extreme  outer  corner  of 
which  is  a  water-closet,  5x3  feet ;  thus,  altogether,  giv- 
ing accommodation  to  a  family  of  five  or  six  persons. 

The  construction  of  this  cottage  is  shown  as  of  wood. 
Other  material,  either  brick  or  stone,  may  be  used,'  as 
most  convenient,  at  a  not  much  increased  cost.  The 
expense  of  this  building  may  be,  say  fifty  per  cent, 
higher  than  that  of  No.  I,  according  to  the  finish,  and 
may  be  sufficiently  well  done  and  painted  complete  for 
$300  ;  which  may  be  reduced  or  increased,  according 
to  the  style  of  finish  and  the  taste  of  the  builder. 

A  cellar  may  be  made  under  this  cottage,  which 
can  be  reached  by  a  trap-door  from  the  living  room, 
opening  to  a  flight  of  steps  below. 


220 


RURAL  ARCHITECTUBB. 


Design  III. 

This  cottage  is  still  in  advance  of  No.  II,  in  style 
and  arrangement,  and  may  accommodate  not  only  tlie 
farm  laborer  or  gardener,  but  will  serve  for  a  small 
farmer  himself,  or  a  village  mechanic.  It  is  in  the 
French  style  of  roof,  and  allied  to  the  Italian  in  its 
brackets,  and  gables,  and  half-terraced  front.  The 
body  of  the  cottage  is  22x20  feet,  with  twelve-feet 
posts ;  the  roof  has  a  pitch  of  50°  from  a  horizontal 
line,  in  its  straight  dimensions,  curving  horizontally 
toward  the  eaves,  which,  together  with  the  gables,  pro- 
ject 3  feet  over  the  walls.  The  terrace  in  front  is  5 
feet  wide.  On  the  rear  is  a  wood-house,  18x16  feet 
in  area,  open  at  the  house  end,  and  in  front,  with  a 
roof  in  same  style  as  the  main  house,  and  posts,  8  feet 
high,  standing  on  the  ground,  2  feet  below  the  surface 
of  the  cellar  wall,  which  supports  the  main  building. 

INTERIOR  ARRANGEMENT. 

The  front  d^or  opens,  in  the  center  of  the  front  wall, 
into  a  hall,  12x8  feet,  with  a  flight  of  stairs  on  one 
side,  leading  to  the  chamber  above ;  under  the  stairs, 
at  the  upper  end,  is  a  passage  leading  beneath  them 
into  the  cellar.    On  one  side  of  this  hall  is  a  bedroom 


Plan. 
0  O  T  T  A  G  E 


Pages  221-222. 


KURAI  ARCHITECTURE. 


223 


8x10  feet,  lighted  by  a  window  in  front,  and  part  of 
the  hooded  double  window  on  the  side.  On  the  inner 
side,  a  door  leads  from  the  hall  into  the  living  room 
or  kitchen,  18x12  feet.  On  one  side  of  this  is  a  bed- 
room, or  pantry,  as  may  be  most  desirable,  9x6  feet, 
from  which  leads  a  close  closet,  3  feet  square.  This 
bedroom  has  a  window  on  one  side,  next  the  hall.  A 
door  from  the  kitchen  leads  into  a  closet,  3  feet  wTide, 
which  may  contain  a  sink,  and  cupboard  for  kitchen 
wares.  The  living  room  is  lighted  by  a  part  of  the 
double  hooded  window  on  one  side,  and  another  on 
the  rear.  A  door  leads  into  the  wood-house,  which  is 
12x16  feet,  in  the  extreme  corner  of  which  is  the 
water-closet,  5x3  feet.  The  rooms  in  this  cottage  are 
9  feet  high.  A  chimney  leads  up  from  the  floor  of  the 
living  room,  which  may  receive,  in  addition  to  its  own 
fireplace,  or  stove,  a  pipe  from  the  stove  in  the  hall,  if 
one  is  placed  there. 

The  chamber  has  two  feet  of  perpendicular  wall, 
and  the  sharp  roof  gives  opportunity  for  two  good 
lodging  rooms,  which  may  be  partitioned  off  as  con- 
venience may  require,  each  lighted  by  a  window  in 
the  gables,  and  a  dormer  one  in  the  roof,  for  the  pas- 
sage leading  into  them. 

The  hall  may  serve  as  a  pleasant  sitting  or  dining- 
room,  in  pleasant  weather,  opening,  as  it  does,  on  to 
the  terrace,  which  is  mostly  sheltered  by  the  over- 
hanging roof. 

The  construction  of  this  cottage  may  be  of  either 
stone,  brick,  or  wood,  and  produce  a  fine  effect.  Ah 
though  it  lias  neither  porch,  nor  veranda,  the  broad 


224 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


eaves  and  gables  give  it  a  well-sheltered  appearance, 
and  the  hooded  windows  on  the  sides  throw  an  air  of 
protection  over  them,  quite  agreeable  to  the  eye.  The 
framing  of  this  roof  is  no  way  different,  in  the  rafters, 
from  those  made  on  straight  lines,  but  the  curve  and 
projection  is  given  by  planks  cut  into  proper  shape, 
and  spiked  into  the  rafters,  and  apparently  supported 
by  the  brackets  below,  which  should  be  cut  from  two 
to  three-inch  plank,  to  give  them  a  heavy  and  substan- 
tial appearance.  The  windows  are  in  casement  form, 
as  shown  in  the  design,  but  may  be  changed  into  the 
ordinary  sash  form,  if  preferred,  which  is,  in  this 
country,  usually  the  better  way.  It  will  be  observed, 
that  we  have  in  all  cases  adopted  the  usual  square- 
sided  form  of  glass  for  windows,  as  altogether  more 
convenient  and  economical  in  building,  simple  in  re 
pairing,  and,  we  think,  quite  as  agreeable  in  appear- 
ance, as  those  out-of-the-way  shapes  frequently  adopted 
to  give  a  more  picturesque  effect. 

In  a  hilly,  mountainous,  and  evergreen  country,  this 
style  of  cottage  is  peculiarly  appropriate.  It  takes 
additional  character  from  bold  and  picturesque  scenery, 
with  which  it  is  in  harmony.  The  pine,  spruce,  cedar, 
or  hemlock,  or  the  evergreen  laurel,  planted  around 
or  near  it,  will  give  it  increased  effect,  while  among 
deciduous  trees  and  shrubs,  an  occasional  Lombardy 
poplar,  and  larch,  will  harmonize  with  the  boldness  of 
its  outline.  Even  where  hill  or  mountain  scenery  is 
wanting,  plantations  such  as  have  been  named,  would 
render  it  a  pleasing  style  of  cottage,  and  give  agree- 
able effect  to  its  bold,  sharp  roof  and  projecting  eaves 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


225 


In  a  snowy  country,  the  plan  of  roof  here  presented 
is  well  adapted  to  the  shedding  of  heavy  snows,  on 
which  it  can  find  no  protracted  lodgment.  "Where 
massive  stone  walls  enclose  the  estate,  this  style  of 
cottage  will  be  in  character,  as  comporting  with  that 
strong  and  solid  air  which  the  rustic  appearance  of 
stone  alone  can  give.  It  may,  too,  receive  the  same 
amount  of  outer  decoration,  in  its  shrubbery  and  plan- 
tations, given  to  any  other  style  of  building  of  like 
accommodation,  and  with  an  equally  agreeable  effect 


226 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE 


Design  IV. 

This  cottage  is  still  in  advance  of  the  last,  in  its 
accommodation,  and  is  suitable  for  the  small  farmer, 
or  the  more  liberal  cottager,  who  requires  wider  room, 
and  ampler  conveniences  than  are  allowed  by  the  hith- 
erto described  structures.  It  is  a  first  class  dwelling, 
of  its  kind,  and,  in  its  details  and  finish,  may  be 
adapted  to  a  variety  of  occupation,  while  it  wTill  afford 
a  sufficient  amount  of  expenditure  to  gratify  a  liberal 
outlay,  to  him  who  chooses  to  indulge  his  taste  in  a 
moderate  extent  of  decoration  and  embellishment. 

The  ground  plan  of  this  cottage  is  30x22  feet,  in 
light  rural-Gothic  style,  one  and  a  half  stories  high, 
the  posts  14  feet  in  elevation.  It  has  two  chimneys, 
passing  out  through  the  roof  on  each  side  of  the  ridge, 
uniformly,  each  with  the  other.  The  roof  has  a  pitch 
of  45°  from  a  horizontal  line,  giving  it  a  bold  and 
rather  dashing  appearance,  and  deeply  sheltering  the 
walls.  The  side  gables  give  variety  to  the  roof,  and 
light  to  the  chambers,  and  add  to  the  finish  of  its 
appearance ;  while  the  sharp  arched  double  window  in 
the  front  gable  adds  character  to  the  design. 

The  deep  veranda  in  front  covers  three-quarters  of 
its  surface  in  length,  and  in  the  symmetry  of  its  roof, 
and  airiness  of  its  columns,  with  their  light  braces, 


Pages  227-228. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


229 


give  it  a  style  of  completeness  ;  and  if  creeping  vines 
or  climbing  shrubs  be  trained  upon  them,  will  produce 
an  effect  altogether  rural  and  beautiful. 

Or,  if  a  rustic  style  of  finish  be  adopted,  to  render 
it  cheaper  in  construction,  the  effect  may  still  be  im- 
posing, and  in  harmony  with  the  purposes  to  which  it 
is  designed.  In  fact,  this  model  will  admit  of  a  variety 
of  choice  in  finish,  from  the  plainest  to  a  high  degree 
of  embellishment,  as  the  ability  or  fancy  of  the  builder 
may  suggest. 

INTERIOR  ARRANGEMENT. 

From  the  veranda  in  the  center  of  the  front,  a  door 
opens  into  a  hall,  17x7  feet,  with  a  flight  of  stairs 
leading,  in  three  different  angles,  to  the  chambers 
above.  Opposite  the  front  door  is  the  passage  into 
the  living  room,  or  parlor,  17x15  feet,  lighted  by  three 
windows,  two  of  which  present  an  agreeable  view  of 
an  adjacent  stream  and  its  opposite  shores.  At  the 
line  of  partition  from  the  hall,  stands  a  chimney,  with 
a  fireplace,  if  desirable,  or  for  a  stove,  to  accommodate 
both  this  room  and  the  hall  with  a  like  convenience ; 
and  under  the  flight  of  stairs  adjoining  opens  a  china 
closet,  with  spacious  shelves,  for  the  safe-keeping  of 
household  comforts.  From  this  room,  a  door  leads  into 
a  bedroom,  10x13  feet,  lighted  by  a  window  opening 
into  the  veranda,  also  accommodated  by  a  stove,  which 
leads  into  a  chimney  at  its  inner  partition.  Next  to 
this  bedroom  is  the  kitchen,  12x13  feet,  accommodated 
with  a  chimney,  where  may  be  inserted  an  open  fire- 
place, or  a  stove,  as  required.    In  this  is  a  flight  of 


230 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


back  chamber  and  cellar  stairs.  This  room  is  lighted 
by  two  windows  —  one  in  the  side,  another  in  the  rear. 
A  door  leads  from  its  rear  into  a  large,  roomy  pantry, 
8  feet  square,  situated  in  the  wing,  and  lighted  by  a 
window.  Next  to  this  is  a  passage,  3  feet  in  width, 
leading  to  the  wood-house,  (in  which  the  pantry  just 
named  is  included,)  16x12  feet,  wdth  nine-feet  posts, 
and  roof  pitched  like  the  house,  in  the  extreme  corner 
of  which  is  a  water-closet,  5x3  feet.  Cornering  upon 
the  wood-house  beyond,  is  a  small  building,  15x12 
feet,  with  ten-feet  posts,  and  a  roof  in  same  style  as 
the  others  —  with  convenience  for  a  cow  and  a  pig, 
with  each  a  separate  entrance.  A  flight  of  stairs  leads 
to  the  hay-loft  above  the  stables,  in  the  gable  of  which 
is  the  hay-door;  and  under  the  stairs  is  the  granary; 
and  to  these  may  be  added,  inside,  a  small  accommo- 
dation for  a  choice  stock  of  poultry. 

The  chamber  plan  is  the  same  as  the  lower  floor, 
mainly,  giving  three  good  sleeping-rooms ;  that  over 
the  kitchen,  being  a  hack  chamber,  need  not  have  a 
separate  passage  into  the  upper  hall,  but  may  have  a 
door  passage  into  the  principal  chamber.  The  door 
to  the  front  bedroom  leads  direct  from  the  upper 
hall.  Thus,  accommodation  is  given  to  quite  a  nu- 
merous family.  Closets  may  be  placed  in  each  of 
these  chambers,  if  wanted ;  and  the  entire  establish 
ment  made  a  most  snug  and  compact,  as  well  an 
commodious  arrangement. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


231 


COTTAGE  OUTSIDE  DECORATION! 


Nothing  so  perfectly  sets  off  a  cottage,  in  external 
appearance,  as  the  presence  of  plants  and  shrubbery 
around  it.  A  large  tree  or  two,  by  giving  an  air  of 
protection,  is  always  in  place ;  and  creeping  vines,  and 
climbing  shrubs  about  the  windows  and  porch,  are  in 
true  character ;  while  a  few  low-headed  trees,  of  vari- 
ous kinds,  together  with  some  simple  and  hardy  annual 
and  other  flowers  —  to  which  should  always  be  added, 
near  by,  a  small,  well-tended  kitchen  garden  —  fill  up 
the  picture. 

In  the  choice  of  what  varieties  should  compose  these 
ornaments,  one  can  hardly  be  at  a  loss.  Flanking  the 
cottage,  and  near  the  kitchen  garden,  should  be  the 
fruit  trees.  The  elm,  maples,  oak,  and  hickory,  in 
all  their  varieties,  black-walnut,  butternut  —  the  last 
all  the  better  for  its  rich  kernel  —  are  every  one  appro- 
priate for  shade,  as  large  trees.  The  hop,  morning- 
glory,  running  beans  —  all  useful  and  ornamental  as 
summer  climbers ;  the  clematis,  bitter-sweet,  ivy,  any 
of  the  climbing  roses ;  the  lilac,  syringa,  snow-ball! 
and  the  standard  roses  ;  while  marigolds,  asters,  pinks, 


232 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


the  phloxes,  peonies,  and  a  few  other  cf  the  thousand- 
and-one  simple  and  charming  annuals,  biennials,  and 
perennials,  with  now  and  then  a  gorgeous  sunflower, 
flaunting  in  its  broad  glory,  will  fill  up  the  catalogue. 
Rare  and  costly  plants  are  not  required,  and  indeed, 
are  hardly  in  place  in  the  grounds  of  an  ordinary  cot- 
tage, unless  occupied  by  the  professional  gardener. 
They  denote  expense,  which  the  laboring  cottager  can- 
not afford  ;  and  besides  that,  they  detract  from  the 
simplicity  of  the  life  and  purpose  which  not  only  the 
cottage  itself,  but  everything  around  it,  should  express. 

There  is  an  affectation  of  cottage  building,  with  some 
people  who,  with  a  seeming  humilty,  really  aim  at 
higher  flights  of  style  in  living  within  them,  than  truth 
of  either  design  or  purpose  will  admit.  But  as  such 
cases  are  more  among  villagers,  and  those  temporarily 
retiring  from  the  city  for  summer  residence,  the  farm 
cottage  has  little  to  do  with  it.  Still,  such  fancies  are 
contagious,  and  we  have  occasionally  seen  the  ambi- 
tious cottage,  with  its  covert  expression  of  humility, 
insinuating  itself  on  to  the  farm,  and  for  the  farmer's 
owi  family  occupation,  too,  which  at  once  spoiled,  to 
the  eye,  the  substantial  reality  of  the  whole  establish- 
ment. A  farmer  should  discard  all  such  things  as 
ornamental  cottages.  They  do  not  belong  to  the  farm. 
If  he  live  in  a  cottage  himself,  it  should  be  a  plain  one; 
yet  it  may  be  very  substantial  and  well  finished  — 
something  showing  that  he  means  either  to  be  content 
in  it,  in  its  character  of  plainness,  or  that  he  intends, 
at  a  future  day,  to  build  something  better — when  this 
may  serve  for  the  habitation  of  one  of  his  laborers. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


233 


The  cottage  should  never  occupy  a  principal,  or 
prominent  site  on  the  farm  It  should  take  a  subor- 
dinate position  of  ground.  This  adds  to  its  expression 
as  subordinate  in  rank,  among  the  lesser  farm  build- 
ings. A  cottage  cannot,  and  should  not  aspire  to  be 
chief  in  either  position  or  character.  Such  should  be 
the  farm  house  proper;  although  unpretending,  still, 
in  style,  above  the  cottage  ;  and  if  the  latter,  in  addi- 
tion, be  required  on  the  farm,  it  should  so  appear,  both 
in  construction  and  finish ;  just  what  it  is  intended 
for  —  a  tenement  for  economical  purposes. 

There  is  another  kind  of  cottage,  the  dwellers  m 
which,  these  pages  will  probably  never  reach,  that 
expresses,  in  its  wild  structure,  and  rude  locality,  the 
idea  of  Moore's  pretty  song  — 

M I  knew  by  the  smoke  that  so  gracefully  curled 
Above  the  green  elms,  that  a  cottage  was  near." 

Yet,  in  some  parts  of  our  country,  landlords  may  build 
such,  for  the  accommodation  of  tenants,  wrhich  they 
may  make  useful  on  the  outskirts  of  their  estates,  and 
add  indirectly  to  their  own  convenience  and  interest  in 
so  doing.  This  may  be  indulged  in,  poetically  too  —  for 
almost  any  thinking  man  has  a  spice  of  poetry  in  his 
composition  —  vagabondism,  a  strict,  economizing  utili 
tarian  would  call  it.  The  name  matters  not.  One 
may  as  well  indulge  his  taste  in  this  cheap  sort  of 
charitable  expenditure,  as  another  may  indulge,  in  his 
dogs,  and  guns,  his  horses  and  equipages  —  and  the 
first  is  far  the  cheapest.  They,  at  the  wrest  and  south, 
understand  this,  whose  recreations  are  occasionally 


234 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


with  their  hounds,  in  chase  of  the  deer,  and  the  fox, 
and  in  their  pursuit  spend  weeks  of  the  fall  and  winter 
months,  in  which  they  are  accompanied,  and  assisted, 
as  boon  companions  for  the  time,  by  the  rude  tenants 
of  the  cottages  we  have  described : 

"  A  cheerful,  simple,  honest  people." 

Another  class  of  cottage  may  come  within  the  farm 
enclosures,  half  poetical,  and  half  economical,  such  as 
Milton  describes : 

"  Hard  by  a  cottage  chimney  smokes, 
From  betwixt  two  aged  oaks ; " 

and  occupied  by  a  family  pensioner  and  his  infirm  old 
wife  —  we  don't  think  all  "poor  old  folks  55  ought  to 
go  to  the  alms-house,  because  they  cannot  work  every 
day  of  the  year  —  of  which  all  long-settled  families  of 
good  estate  have,  now  and  then,  one  near  to,  or  upon 
their  premises.  Thousands  of  kind  and  liberal  hearts 
among  our  farming  and  planting  brethren,  whose  im- 
oulses  are  — 

"Open  as  the  day  to  melting  charity," 

are  familiar  with  the  wants  of  those  who  are  thus  made 
their  dependents ;  and  in  their  accommodation,  an  eye 
may  be  kept  to  the  producing  of  an  agreeable  effect  in 
locating  their  habitations,  and  k)  rudely  embellish, 
rather  than  to  mar  the  domain  on  which  they  may  be 
lodged. 

In  short,  cottage  architecture,  in  its  proper  character, 
may  be  made  as  effective,  in  all  the  ornament  which  it 
should  give  to  the  farm,  as  that  of  any  other  structure ; 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


235 


and  if  those  who  have  occasion  for  the  cottage  will 
only  be  content  to  build  and  maintain  it  as  it  should 
be,  and  leave  off  that  perpetual  aspiration  after  some- 
thing unnatural,  and  foreign  to  its  purpose,  which  so 
many  cottage  builders  of  the  day  attempt,  and  let  it 
stand  in  its  own  humble,  secluded  character,  they  will 
save  themselves  a  world  of  trouble,  and  pass  for — 
what  they  now  do  not  —  men  possessing  a  taste  for 
truth  and  propriety  in  their  endeavors. 


HOUSE  AND  COTTAGE  FURNITURE. 

This  is  a  subject  so  thoroughly  discussed  in  the 
books,  of  late,  that  anything  which  may  here  be  said, 
would  avail  but  little,  inasmuch  as  our  opinions  might 
be  looked  upon  as  "old-fashioned,"  "  out  of  date,"  and 
"  of  no  account  whatever," — for  Wonderfully  modem 
notions  in  room-furnishing  have  crept  into  the  farm 
house,  as  well  as  into  town  houses.  Indeed,  we  confess 
to  altogether  ancient  opinions  in  regard  to  household 
furniture,  and  contend,  that,  with  a  few  exceptions, 
"  modern  degeneracy  "  has  reached  the  utmost  stretch 
of  absurdity,  in  house-furnishing,  to  which  the  ingenu- 
ity of  man  can  arrive.  Fashions  in  furniture  change 
about  as  often  as  the  cut  of  a  lady's  dress,  or  the  shape 

of  her  bonnet,  and  pretty  much  from  the  same  source, 
10 


236 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


too  —  the  fancy  shops  of  Pare,  once,  in  good  old  Eng- 
lish, Paris,  the  capital  city  of  France.  A  farmer,  rich 
or  poor,  may  spend  half  his  annual  income,  every  year 
of  his  life,  in  taking  down  old,  and  putting  up  new 
furniture,  and  be  kept  uncomfortable  all  the  time ; 
when,  if  he  will,  after  a  quiet,  good-tempered  talk 
with  his  better-half,  agree  with  her  upon  the  list  of 
necessary  articles  to  make  them  really  comfortable  / 
and  then  a  catalogue  of  what  shall  comprise  the  luxu- 
rious part  of  their  furnishings,  which,  when  provided, 
they  will  fixedly  make  up  their  mind  to  keep,  and  be 
content  with,  they  will  remain  entirely  free  from  one 
great  source  of  "  the  ills  which  flesh  is  heir  to." 

It  is  pleasant  to  see  a  young  couple  setting  out  in 
their  housekeeping  life,  well  provided  with  convenient 
and  properly-selected  furniture,  appropriate  to  all  the 
uses  of  the  family ;  and  then  to  keep,  and  use  it,  and 
enjoy  it,  like  contented,  sensible  people ;  adding  to  it, 
now  and  then,  as  its  wear,  or  the  increasing  wants  of 
their  family  may  require.  Old,  familiar  things,  to 
which  we  have  long  been  accustomed,  and  habituated, 
make  up  a  round  share  of  our  actual  enjoyment.  A 
family  addicted  to  constant  change  in  their  household 
furniture,  attached  to  nothing,  content  wTith  nothing, 
and  looking  with  anxiety  to  the  next  change  of  fashion 
which  shall  introduce  something  new  into  the  house, 
can  take  no  sort  of  comfort,  let  their  circumstances  be 
ever  so  affluent.  It  is  a  kind  of  dissipation  in  which 
some  otherwise  worthy  people  are  prone  to  indulge, 
but  altogether  pernicious  in  the  indulgence.  It  de 
tracts  j  also,  from  the  apparent  respectability  of  a  family 


EURAI  ^KCHITECTTJKE. 


237 


to  find  nothing  old  about  them — as  if  they  themselves 
were  of  yesterday,  and  newly  dusted  out  of  a  modern 
shop-keeper's  stock  in  trade.  The  furniture  of  a  house 
ought  to  look  as  though  the  family  within  it  once  had  a 
grandfather  —  and  as  if  old  things  had  some  veneration 
from  those  who  had  long  enjoyed  their  service. 

We  are  not  about  to  dictate,  of  what  fashion  house- 
hold furniture  should  be,  when  selected,  any  further 
than  that  of  a  plain,  substantial,  and  commodious 
fashion,  and  that  it  should  comport,  so  far  as  those 
requirements  in  it  will  admit,  with  the  approved  modes 
of  the  day.  But  we  are  free  to  say,  that  in  these  times 
the  extreme  of  absurdity,  and  unfitness  for  use,  is  more 
the  fashion  than  anything  else.  What  so  useless  as 
the  modern  French  chairs,  standing  on  legs  like  pipe- 
stems,  garote-mg  your  back  like  a  rheumatism,  and 
frail  as  the  legs  of  a  spider  beneath  you,  as  you  sit  in 
it ;  and  a  tribe  of  equally  worthless  incumbrances, 
which  absorb  your  money  in  their  cost,  and  detract 
from  your  comfort,  instead  of  adding  to  it,  when  you 
have  got  them ;  or  a  bedstead  so  high  that  you  must 
have  a  ladder  to  climb  into  it,  or  so  low  as  to  scarcely 
keep  you  above  the  level  of  the  floor,  when  lying  on 
it.  No ;  give  us  the  substantial,  the  easy,  the  free, 
and  enjoyable  articles,  and  the  rest  may  go  to  tickle 
the  fancy  of  those  who  have  a  taste  for  them,  is" or  do 
these  flashy  furnishings  add  to  one's  rank  in  society, 
or  to  the  good  opinion  of  those  whose  consideration  is 
most  valuable.  Look  into  the  houses  of  those  people 
who  are  the  really  substantial,  and  worthy  of  the  land. 
There  will  be  found  little  of  such  frippery  with  them. 


238 


RURAL*  ARCHITECTURE. 


Old  furniture,  well-preserved,  useful  m  every  tiling, 

mark  the  well-ordered  arrangement  of  their  rooms,  and 
give  an  air  of  quietude,  of  comfort,  and  of  hospitality 
to  their  apartments.  Children  cling  to  such  objects  in 
after  life,  as  heir-looms  of  affection  and  parental  regard. 

Although  we  decline  to  give  specific  directions  about 
what  varieties  of  furniture  should  constitute  the  fur- 
nishings of  a  house,  or  to  illustrate  its  style  or  fashion 
by  drawings,  and  content  ours  elf  with  the  single  re- 
mark, that  it  should,  in  all  cases,  be  strong,  plain,  and 
durable — no  sham,  nor  ostentation  about  it  —  and 
such  as  is  made  for  use :  mere  trinkets  stuck  about 
the  room,  on  center  tables,  in  corners,  or  on  the  man- 
tel-piece, are  the  foolishest  things  imaginable.  They 
are  costly;  they  require  a  world  of  care,  to  keep  them 
in  condition ;  and  then,  with  ail  this  care,  they  are 
good  for  nothing,  in  any  sensible  use.  We  have  fre- 
quently been  into  a  country  house,  where  we  antici- 
pated better  things,  and,  on  being  introduced  into  the 
c  parlor,"  actually  found  everything  in  the  furniture 
dne  so  dainty  and  "  prinked  up,'5  that  we  were  afraid 
to  sit  down  on  the  frail  things  stuck  around  by  way  of 
seats,  for  fear  of  breaking  them  ;  and  everything  about 
it  looked  so  gingerly  and  inhospitable,  that  we  felt  an 
absolute  relief  when  we  could  fairly  get  out  of  it,  and 
take  a  place  by  the  wide  old  fireplace,  in  the  common 
living  room,  comfortably  ensconced  in  a  good  old  easy, 
high-backed,  split-bottomed  chair — there  was  positive 
comfort  in  that,  when  in  the  " parlor"  there  was  noth- 
ing but  restraint  and  discomfort.  ±so ;  leave  all  this 
vanity  to  town-folk,  who  have  nothing  better  — oi 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


239 


who,  at  least,  think  they  have  —  to  amuse  themselves 
with ;  it  has  no  fitness  for  a  country  dwelling,  what- 
ever. All  this  kind  of  frippery  smacks  of  the  board- 
ing school,  the  pirouette,  and  the  dancing  master,  and 
is  out  of  character  for  the  farm,  or  the  sensible  retire- 
ment of  the  country. 

In  connection  with  the  subject  of  furniture,  a  remark 
may  be  made  on  the  room  arrangement  of  the  house, 
which  might,  perhaps,  have  been  more  fittingly  made 
wdien  discussing  that  subject,  in  the  designs  of  our 
houses.  Some  people  have  a  marvellous  propensity 
for  introducing  into  their  houses  a  suite  of  rooms,  con- 
nected by  wide  folding-doors,  which  must  always  be 
opened  into  each  other,  •furnished  just  alike,  and  de- 
voted to  extraordinary  occasions  ;  thus  absolutely  sink- 
ing the  best  rooms  in  the  house,  for  display  half  a 
dozen  times  in  the  year,  and  at  the  sacrifice  of  the 
every-day  comfort  of  the  family.  This  is  nothing  but 
a  bastard  taste,  of  the  most  worthless  kind,  introduced 
from  the  city  —  the  propriety  of  which,  for  city  life, 
need  not  here  be  discussed.  The  presence  of  such 
arrangement,  in  a  country  house,  is  fatal  to  everything 
like  domestic  enjoyment,  and  always  followed  by  great 
expense  and  inconvenience.  J\"o  room,  in  any  house, 
should  be  too  good  for  occupation  by  the  family  them- 
selves—  not  every-day,  and  common-place  —  but  occu- 
pation at  any  and  all  times,  when  convenience  or  plea- 
sure demand  it.  If  a  large  room  be  required,  let  the 
single  room  itself  be  large  ;  not  sacrifice  an  extra  room 
to  the  occasional  extension  of  the  choicer  one,  as  in 
the  use  of  folding-doors  must  be  done.    This  "  parlor  " 


240 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


maybe  better  furnished  —  and  so  it  should  be  —  than 
any  other  room  in  the  house.  Its  carpet  should  be  not 
too  good  to  tread,  or  stand  upon,  or  for  the  children  to 
roll  and  tumble  upon,  provided  their  shoes  and  clothes 
be  clean.  Let  the  happy  little  fellows  roll  and  tumble 
on  it,  to  their  heart's  content,  when  their  mother  or 
elder  sisters  are  with  them  —  for  it  may  be,  perhaps, 
the  most  joyous,  and  most  innocent  pleasure  of  their 
lives,  poor  things  !  The  hearth-rug  should  be  in  keep- 
ing with  the  carpet,  also,  and  no  floor-cloth  should  be 
necessary  to  cover  it,  for  fear  of  soiling;  but  every- 
thing free  and  easy,  with  a  comfortable,  inviting, 
hospitable  look  about  it. 

Go  into  the  houses  of  our  great  men  —  such  as  live 
in  the  country  —  whom  God  made  great,  not  money — 
and  see  how  they  live.  We  speak  not  of  statesmen 
and  politicians  alone,  but  great  merchants,  great  schol- 
ars, great  divines,  great  mechanics,  and  all  men  wTho, 
in  mind  and  attainments,  are  head  and  shoulder  above 
their  class  in  any  of  the  walks  of  life,  and  you  find  no 
starch,  or  flummery  about  them.  We  once  went  out 
to  the  country  house  —  he  lived  there  all  the  time,  for 
that  matter- — of  a  distinguished  banker  of  one  of  our 
great  cities,  to  dine,  and  spend  the  day  with  him.  He 
had  a  small  farm  attached  to  his  dwelling,  where  he 
kept  his  horses  and  cows,  xiis  pigs,  and  his  poultry. 
He  had  a  large,  plain  two-story  cottage  house,  with 
a  piazza  running  on  three  sides  of  it,  from  wThich  a 
beautiful  view  of  the  neighboring  city,  and  water, 
and  land,  wras  seen  in  nearly  all  directions.  He  was 
an  educated  man.    His  father  had  been  a  statesman  of 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


241 


distinguished  ability  and  station  at  home,  and  a  diplo- 
matist abroad,  and  himself  educated  in  the  highest  cir- 
cles of  business,  and  of  society.  His  wife,  too,  was 
the  daughter  of  a  distinguished  city  merchant,  quite 
his  equal  in  all  the  accomplishments  of  life.  His  own 
wealth  wras  competent ;  he  was  the  manager  of  mil- 
lions of  the  wealth  of  others  ;  and  his  station  in  society 
was  of  the  highest.  Yet,  with  all  this  claim  to  pre- 
tension, his  house  did  not  cost  him  eight  thousand  dol- 
lars—  and  he  built  it  by  "days-work,"  too,  so  as  to 
have  it  faithfully  done ;  and  the  furniture  in  it,  aside 
from  library,  paintings,  and  statuary,  never  cost  him 
three  thousand.  Every  room  in  it  was  a  plain  one, 
not  more  highly  finished  than  many  a  farmer's  house 
can  afford.  The  furniture  of  every  kind  was  plain, 
saving,  perhaps,  the  old  family  plate,  and  such  as  he 
had  &dded  to  it,  which  was  all  substantial,  and  made  for 
use.  The  younger  children  —  and  of  these,  younger 
and  older,  he  had  several  —  we  found  happy,  healthy, 
cheerful,  and  frolicking  on  the  carpets  ;  and  their  wor- 
thy mother,  in  the  plainest,  yet  altogether  appropriate 
garb,  was  sitting  among  them,  at  her  family  sewing, 
and  kindly  welcomed  us  as  we  took  our  seats  in  front 
of  the  open,  glowing  fireplace.  "  Why,  sir,"  we  ex- 
claimed, rubbing  our  hands  in  the  comfortable  glow  of 
warmth  which  the  fire  had  given  —  for  it  was  a  cold 
December  day  —  "you  are  quite  plain,  as  well  as  won- 
derfully comfortable,  in  your  country  house  —  quite 
different  from  your  former  city  residence!"  "To  be 
sure  we  are,"  was  the  reply;  "we  stood  it  as  long  as 
we  could,  amid  the  starch  and  the  gimcracks  of  


242 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


street,  where  we  rarely  had  a  day  to  ourselves,  and 
the  children  could  never  go  into  the  streets  but  the? 
must  be  tagged  and  tasselled,  in  their  dress,  into  all 
sorts  of  discomfort,  merely  for  the  sake  of  appearance. 
So,  after  standing  it  as  long  as  we  could,  my  wife  and 
I  determined  we  would  try  the  country,  for  a  while, 
and  see  what  we  could  make  of  it.  We  kept  our  town- 
house,  into  which  we  returned  for  a  winter  or  two  ;  but 
gave  it  up  for  a  permanent  residence  here,  with  which 
we  are  perfectly  content.  We  see  here  all  the  friends 
we  want  to  see;  we  all  enjoy  ourselves,  and  the  chil- 
dren are  healthy  and  happy."  And  this  is  but  a  speci- 
men of  thousands  of  families  in  the  enjoyment  of 
country  life,  including  the  families  of  men  in  the 
highest  station,  and  possessed  of  sufficient  wealth. 

Why,  then,  should  the  fanner  ape  the  fashion,  and 
the  frivolity  of  the  butterflies  of  town  life,  or  permit 
his  family  to  do  it?  It  is  the  sheerest  possible  folly  in 
him  to  do  so.  Yet,  it  is  a  folly  into  which  many  are 
imperceptibly  gliding,  and  which,  if  not  reformed,  will 
ultimately  lead  to  great  discomfort  to  themselves,  and 
ruin  to  their  families.  Let  thoughtless  people  do  as 
they  choose.  Pay  no  attention  to  their  extravagance ; 
but  watch  them  for  a  dozen  years,  and  see  how  they 
come  out  in  their  fashionable  career  ;  and  observe  the 
fate  of  their  families,  as  they  get  "  established  "  in  the 
like  kind  of  life.  He  who  keeps  aloof  from  such  temp- 
tation, will  then  have  no  cause  to  regret  that  he  has 
maintained  his  own  steady  course  of  living,  and  taught 
his  sons  and  daughters  that  a  due  attention  to  their 
own  comfort,  with  economical  habits  in  everything 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


243 


relating  to  housekeeping,  will  be  to  their  lasting  benefit 
in  future, 

But,  we  have  said  enough  to  convey  the  ideas  in 
house-furnishing  we  would  wish  to  impart;  and  the 
leader  will  do  as  he,  or  she,  no  doubt,  would  have 
done,  had  we  not  written  a  word  about  it  —  go  and 
select  such  as  may  strike  their  own  fancy. 

We  received,  a  day  or  two  since,  a  letter  from  a 
person  at  the  west,  entirely  unknown  to  us,  whose 
ideas  so  entirely  correspond  with  our  own,  that  we 
give  it  a  place,  as  showing  that  a  proper  taste  does 
prevail  among  many  people  in  this  country,  in  regard 
to  buildings,  and  house-furnishings ;  and  which  we 
trust  he  will  pardon  us  for  publishing,  as  according 
entirely  with  our  own  views,  in  conclusion : 

 ,   ,  III.,  Doc.  18,  1851. 

Dear  Sir, —  I  received,  a  few  days  since,  a  copy  of 
the  first  number  of  a  periodical  called  the  "  Plough," 
into  which  is  copied  the  elevation  of  a  design  for  a 
farm  house,  purporting  to  be  from  a  forthcoming  work 
of  yours,  entitled  "Rural  Architecture."  Although  a 
perfect  stranger  to  you,  you  will  perhaps  allow  me  to 
make  one  or  two  suggestions. 

I  have  seen  no  work  yet,  which  seems  fully  to  meet 
the  wants  of  our  country  people  in  the  matter  of  fur- 
niture. After  having  built  their  houses,  they  need 
showing  how  to  furnish  them  in  the  cheapest,  most 
neat,  comfortable,  convenient,  and  substantial  manner. 
The  furniture  should  be  designed  for  use,  not  merely 

for  show.    T  would  have  it  plain,  but  not  coarse — just 
10* 


244 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


enough  for  the  utmost  convenience,  but  nothirg  super- 
fluous. The  articles  of  furniture  figured,  and  partially 
described  in  the  late  works  on  those  subjects,  are 
mostly  of  too  elaborate  and  expensive  a  cast  to  be  gen- 
erally introduced  into  our  country  houses.  There  is 
too  much  nahobery  about  them  to  meet  the  wants,  or 
suit  the  taste  of  the  plain  American  farmer. 

As  to  out-houses  —  the  barn,  stable,  carriage  and 
wagon-house,  tool-house,  piggery,  poultry-house,  con- 
crib,  and  granary,  (to  say  nothing  of  the  "rabbit-wai- 
ren"  and  "  dovecote,")  —  are  necessary  appendages  of 
the  farm  house.  Now,  as  cheapness  is  one  great  de- 
sideratum with  nearly  all  our  new  beginners  in  this 
western  region,  it  seems  to  me,  that  such  plans  as  will 
conveniently  include  the  greatest  number  of  these 
under  the  same  roof,  will  be  best  suited  to  their  neces- 
sities. T  do  not  mean  to  be  understood  that,  for  the 
sake  of  the  first  cost,  wTe  should  pay  no  regard  to  the 
appearance,  >r  that  we  should  slight  our  work,  or  suffer 
it  to  be  constructed  of  flimsy  or  perishable  materials : 
we  should  not  only  have  an  eye  to  taste  and  durability, 
but  put  in  practice  the  most  strict  economy.  • 

I  hope,  in  the  above  matters,  you  may  be  able  to 
furnish  something  better  suited  to  the  necessities  and 
means  of  our  plain  farmers,  than  has  been  done  by 
any  of  your  predecessors. 

I  remain,  &c,  most  respectfully  yours, 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


245 


Having  completed  the  series  of  Designs  for  dwelling 
houses,  which  we  had  proposed  for  this  work,  and  fol- 
lowed them  out  with  such  remarks  as  were  thought 
fitting  to  attend  them,  we  now  pass  on  to  the  second 
part  of  our  subject :  the  out-buildings  of  the  farm,  in 
which  are  to  be  accommodated  the  domestic  animals 
which  make  up  a  large  item  of  its  economy  and  man- 
agement; together  with  other  buildings  which  are 
necessary  to  complete  its  requirements.  We  trust  that 
they  will  be  found  to  be  such  as  the  occasion,  and  the 
wants  of  the  farmer  may  demand ;  and  in  economy, 
accommodation,  and  extent,  be  serviceable  to  those  for 
whose  benefit  they  are  designed, 


246 


BUBAL  ARCHITECTURE 


AN  APIAKY,  OR  BEE-HOUSE. 


Every  farmer  should  keep  bees — provided  he  have 
pasturage  for  them,  on  his  own  land,  or  if  a  propei 
range  for  their  food  and  stores  lie  in  his  immediate 
vicinity.  Bees  are,  beyond  any  other  domestic  stocky 
economical  in  their  keeping,  to  their  owners.  Still 
they  require  care,  and  that  of  no  inconsiderable  kind, 
and  skill,  in  their  management,  not  understood  by 
every  one  who  attempts  to  rear  them.  They  ask  no 
food,  they  require  no  assistance,  in  gathering  their 
daily  stores,  beyond  that  of  proper  housing  in  the 
cheapest  description  of  tenement,  and  with  that  they 
are  entirely  content.  Yet,  without  these,  they  are  a 
contingent,  and  sometimes  a  troublesome  appendage 
to  the  domestic  stock  of  the  farm. 

We  call  them  domestic.  In  one  sense  they  are  so ; 
in  another,  they  are  as  wild  and  untamed  as  when  buz- 
zing and  collecting  their  sweets  in  the  vineyard  of 
Timnath,  where  the  mighty  Sampson  took  their  honey 
from  the  carcass  of  the  dead  lion ;  or,  as  when  John 
the  Baptist,  clothed  with  camel's  hair,  ate  "  locusts 
and  wild  honey"  in  the  arid  wastes  of  Palestine. 
Although  kept  in  partial  bondage  for  six  thousand 
years,  the  ruling  propensity  of  the  bee  is  to  seek  a 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


247 


Home  and  shelter  in  the  forest,  when  it  emerges  m  a 
swarm  from  the  parent  hive  ;  and  no  amount  of  domes- 
tic accommodation,  or  kindness  of  treatment,  will  in- 
duce it  willingly  to  migrate  from  its  nursery  habitation 
to  another  by  its  side,  although  provided  with  the 
choicest  comforts  to  invite  its  entrance.  It  will  soon 
fly  to  the  woods,  enter  a  hollow  and  dilapidated  tree, 
and  carve  out  for  itself  its  future  fortunes,  amid  a 
world  of  labor  and  apparent  discomfort.  The  bee,  too, 
barring  its  industry,  patience,  and  sweetened  labors,  is 
an  arrant  thief — robbing  its  nearest  neighbors,  with 
impunity,  when  the  strongest,  and  mercilessly  slaugh- 
tering its  weaker  brethren,  when  standing  in  the  way 
of  its  rapacity.  It  has  been  extolled  for  its  ingenuity, 
its  patience,  its  industry,  its  perseverance,  and  its  vir- 
tue. Patience,  industry,  and  perseverance  it  has, 
beyond  a  doubt,  and  in  a  wonderful  degree;  but  in- 
genuity, and  virtue,  it  has  none,  more  than  the  spider, 
who  spins  his  worthless  web,  or  the  wasp,  who  stings 
you  when  disturbing  his  labors.  Instinct,  the  bee  has, 
like  all  animals;  but  of  kind  feeling,  and  gratitude,  it 
has  nothing ;  and  with  all  our  vivid  nursery  remem- 
brance of  good  Doctor  Watts'  charming  little  hymn  — 

"How  doth  the  little  busy  bee/'  <fcc.  &c, 

we  have  long  ago  set  it  down  as  incorrigible  to  kind 
treatment,  or  charitable  sympathy,  and  looked  upon  it 
simply  as  a  thing  to  be  treated  kindly  for  the  sake  of 
its  labors,  and  as  composing  one  of  that  delightful 
family  of  domestic  objects  which  make  our  homes 
attractive,  pleasant,  and  profitable. 


248 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


The  active  labors  of  the  bee,  in  a  bright  May  of 
June  morning,  as  they  fly,  in  their  busy  order,  back 
and  forth  from  their  hives,  or  the  soothing  hum  of  their 
playful  hours,  in  a  summer's  afternoon,  are  among  the 
most  delightful  associations  of  rural  life ;  and  as  a 
luxury  to  the  sight,  and  the  ear,  they  should  be  asso- 
ciated with  every  farmer's  home,  and  with  every 
laborer's  cottage,  when  practicable.  And  as  their  due 
accommodation  is  to  be  the  object  of  our  present 
writing,  a  plan  is  presented  for  that  object. 

In  many  of  the  modem  structures  held  out  for  imi- 
tation, the  bee-house,  or  apiary,  is  an  expensive,  pre- 
tentious affair,  got  up  in  an  ambitious  way,  with  efforts 
at  style,  in  the  semblance  of  a  temple,  a  pagoda,  or 
other  absurdity,  the  very  appearance  of  which  frightens 
the  simple  bee  from  its  propriety,  and  in  which  we 
never  yet  knew  a  colony  of  them  to  become,  and  remain 
successful.  The  insect  is,  as  we  have  observed,  wild 
and  untamable  —  a  savage  in  its  habits,  and  rude  in 
its  temper.  It  rejects  all  cultivated  appearances,  and 
seeks  only  its  own  temporary  convenience,  together 
with  comfortable  room  for  its  stores,  and  the  increase 
of  its  kind ;  and  therefore,  the  more  rustic  and  simple 
its  habitation,  the  better  is  it  pleased  with  its  position. 

The  bee-house  should  front  upon  a  sheltered  and 
sunny  aspect.  It  should  be  near  the  ground,  in  a  clean 
and  quiet  spot,  free  from  the  intrusion  of  other  crea- 
tures, either  human  or  profane,  and  undisturbed  by 
noisome  smells,  and  uncouth  sounds— for  it  loathes  all 
these  instinctively,  and  loves  nothing  so  much  as  the 
wild  beauty  of  nature  itself.    The  plan  liere  pi'esented 


GROUND  PLAN. 


250 


RURAL  AKCHITECTTJRE. 


is  of  the  plainest  and  least  expensive  kind.  Nina 
posts,  or  crutches,  are  set  into  the  ground  sufficiently 
deep  to  hold  them  firm,  and  to  secure  them  from  heav- 
ing out  by  the  frost.  The  distance  of  these  posts  apart  . 
may  he  according  to  the  size  of  the  building,  and  to 
give  it  strength  enough  to  resist  the  action  of  the  wind. 
The  front  posts  should  be  9  feet  high,  above  the  ground ; 
the  rear  posts  should  be  7  feet — that  a  man,  with  his 
hat  on,  may  stand  upright  under  them  —  and  6  feet 
from  the  front  line.  The  two  end  posts  directly  in  the 
rear  of  the  front  corner  posts,  should  be  3  feet  back 
from  them,  and  on  a  line  to  accommodate  the  pitch  of 
the  roof  from  the  front  to  the  rear.  A  light  plate  is  to 
be  fitted  on  the  top  line  of  the  front  posts ;  a  plate  at 
each  end  should  run  back  to  the  posts  in  rear,  and 
then  another  cross-plate,  or  girt,  from  each  one  of  these 
middle  posts,  to  the  post  in  rear  of  all,  to  meet-  the 
plate  which  surmounts  this  rear  line  of  posts ;  and  a 
parallel  plate,  or  rafter,  should  be  laid  from  the  two 
intermediate  posts  at  the  ends,  to  connect  them,  and 
for  a  central  support  to  the  roof.  Intermediate  central 
posts  should  also  be  placed  opposite  those  in  front,  to 
support  the  central  plate,  and  not  exceeding  12  feet 
apart.  A  shed  roof,  of  boards,  or  shingles,  tightly 
laid,  should  cover  the  whole,  sufficiently  projecting 
over  the  front,  rear,  and  sides,  to  give  the  house  abun- 
dant shelter,  and  make  it  architecturally  agreeable  to 
the  eye  —  say  12  to  18  inches,  according  to  its  extent. 
A  corner  board  should  drop  two  feet  below  the  plate, 
with  such  finish,  by  way  of  ornament,  as  may  be  desir- 
able.   The  ends  should  be  tightly  boarded  up  against 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


251 


the  weather,  from  bottom  to  top.  The  rear  should  also 
be  tightly  boarded,  from  the  bottom  up  to  a  level  with 
the  stand  inside,  for  the  hives,  and  from  15  to  18  inches 
above  that  to  the  roof.  Fitted  into  the  space  thus  left 
in  the  rear,  should  be  a  light,  though  substantial,  swing 
door,  hung  from  the  upper  boarding,  made  in  sections, 
extending  from  one  post  to  the  other,  as  the  size  of 
the  house  may  determine,  and  secured  with  hooks,  or 
buttons,  as  may  be  convenient.  The  outside  of  the 
structure  is  thus  completed. 

The  inside  arrangement  for  the  hives,  may  be  made 
in  two  different  ways,  as  the  choice  of  the  apiarian 
may  govern  in  the  mode  in  which  his  hives  are  secured. 
The  most  usual  is  the  stand  method,  which  may  be 
made  thus:  At  each  angle,  equidistant,  say  18  to  24 
inches,  inside,  from  the  rear  side  and  ends  of  the  build- 
ing—  as  shown  in  the  ground  plan  — and  opposite  to 
each  rear  and  end  post,  suspend  perpendicularly  a  line 
of  stout  pieces  of  two-inch  plank,  4  inches  wide,  well 
spiked  on  to  the  rafters  above,  reaching  down  within 
two  feet  of  the  ground  —  which  is  to  hold  up  the  bottom 
of  the  stand  on  which  the  hives  are  to  rfcst.  From 
each  bottom  end  of  these  suspended  strips,  secure 
another  piece  of  like  thickness  and  width,  horizontally 
back  to  the  post  in  rear  of  it,  at  the  side  and  ends. 
Then,  lengthwise  the  building,  and  turning  the  angles 
at  the  ends,  and  resting  on  these  horizontal  pieces  just 
described,  lay  other  strips,  3x2  inches,  set  edgewise  — 
one  in  front,  and  another  in  rear,  inside  each  post  and 
suspended  strip,  and  close  to  it,  and  secured  by  heavy 
nails,  so  that  there  shall  be  a  double  line  of  these 


252 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


strips  on  a  level,  extending  entirely  around  the  inte- 
rior, from  the  front  at  each  end.  This  forms  the  hang- 
ing frame -work  for  the  planks  or  boards  on  which  the 
I  lives  are  to  rest. 

Now  for  the  hives.  First,  let  as  many  pieces  of 
Bound  one  and  a  half,  or  two-inch  plank  as  you  have 
hives  to  set  upon  them,  be  cut  long  enough  to  reach 
from  the  boarding  on  the  rear  and  ends  of  the  build- 
ing, to  one  inch  beyond,  and  projecting  over  the  front 
of  the  outer  strip  last  described.  Let  these  pieces  of 
plank  be  well  and  smoothly  planed,  and  laid  length- 
wise across  the  aforesaid  strips,  not  less  than  four 
inches  apart  from  each  other — if  a  less  number  of 
hives  be  in  the  building  than  it  will  accommodate  at 
four  inches  apart,  no  matter  how  far  apart  they  may 
be — these  pieces  of  plank  are  the  ferms  for  the  hives, 
on  which  they  are  to  sit.  And,  as  we  have  for  many 
years  adopted  the  plan  now  described,  with  entire 
success,  a  brief  description  is  given  of  our  mode  of 
hive,  and  the  process  for  obtaining  the  surplus  honey. 
We  say  surplus,  for  destroying  the  bees  to  obtain  their 
honey,  is  a  mode  not  at  all  according  to  our  notions  of 
economy,  or  mercy  ;  and  we  prefer  to  take  that  honey 
only  which  the  swarm  may  make,  after  supplying  their 
own  wants,  and  the  stores  for  their  increasing  family. 
This  process  is  given  in  the  report  of  a  committee  of 
gentlemen  appointed  by  the  New  York  State  Agricul- 
tural Society,  on  a  hive  which  we  exhibited  on  that 
occasion,  with  the  following  note  attached,  at  their 
&how  at  Buffalo,  in  1848  r 


RXJBAL  ARCHITECTURE.  253 

"I  have  seen,  examined,  and  used  several  different 
plans  of  patent  hive,  of  which  there  are  probably  thirty 
invented,  and  nsed,  more  or  less.  I  have  found  all 
which  I  have  ever  seen,  unsatisfactory,  not  carrying 
out  in  full,  the  benefits  claimed  for  them. 

"The  bee  works,  and  lives,  I  believe,  solely  by  in- 
stinct. I  do  not  consider  it  an  inventive,  or  very 
ingenious  insect.  To  succeed  well,  its  accommodations 
should  be  of  the  simplest  and  securest  form.  Therefore, 
instead  of  adopting  the  complicated  plans  of  many  of 
the  patent  hives,  I  have  made,  and  used  a  simple  box, 
like  that  now  before  you,  containing  a  cube  of  one  foot 
square  inside  —  made  of  one  and  a  quarter  inch  sound 
pine  plank,  well  jointed  and  planed  on  all  sides,  and 
put  together  perfectly  tight  at  the  joints,  with  white 
lead  ground  in  oil,  and  the  inside  of  the  hive  at  the 
bottom  champered  off  to  three-eighths  of  an  inch  thick, 
with  a  door  for  the  bees  in  front,  of  four  inches  long 
by  three-eighths  of  an  inch  high.  I  do  this,  that  there 
may  be  a  thin  surface  to  come  in  contact  with  the  shelf 
on  which  they  rest,  thus  preventing  a  harbor  for  the 
bee-moth.  (I  have  never  used  a  patent  hive  which 
would  exclude  the  bee-moth,  nor  any  one  which  would 
so  well  do  it  as  this,  having  never  been  troubled  with 
that  scourge  since  T  used  this  tight  hive.)  On  the  top 
of  the  hive,  an  inch  or  two  from  the  front,  is  made  a 
passage  for  the  bees,  of  an  inch  wide,  and  six  to  eight 
inches  long,  to  admit  the  bees  into  an  upper  hive  for 
surplus  honey,  (which  passage  is  covered,  when  no 
vessel  for  that  purpose  is  on  the  top.)  For  obtaining 
the  honey,  I  use  a  common  ten  or  twelve-quart  water 


254 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


pail,  inverted,  with  the  bail  turned  over,  in  which  the 
bees  deposit  their  surplus,  like  the  sample  before  you. 
The  pail  will  hold  about  twenty,  pounds  of  honey. 
This  is  simple,  cheap,  and  expeditious ;  the  pail  cost- 
ing not  exceeding  twenty-five  cents,  is  taken  off  in  a 
moment,  the  bail  replaced,  and  the  honey  ready  for 
transportation,  or  market,  and  ahvayq  in  place.  If 
there  is  time  for  more  honey  to  be  made,  (my  bees 
made  two  pails-full  in  succession  this  year,)  another 
pail  can  be  put  on  at  once. 

"  Such,  gentlemen,  in  short,  is  my  method.  I  have 
kept  bees  about  twenty  years.  I  succeed  better  on  this 
plan  than  with  any  other." 

In  addition  to  this,  our  hives  are  painted  white,  or 
other  light  color,  on  the  outside,  to  protect  them  from 
warping,  and  as  a  further  security  against  the  bee- 
moth,  or  miller,  which  infests  and  destroys  so  many 
carelessly-made  hives,  as  to  discourage  the  efforts  of 
equally  careless  people  in  keeping  them.  Inside  the 
hive,  on  each  end,  we  fasten,  by  shingle  nails,  about 
half-way  between  the  bottom  and  top,  a  small  piece  >f 
half-inch  board,  about  the  size  of  a  common  wind  <w 
button,  and  with  a  like  notch  in  it,  set  upward,  but 
stationary,  on  which,  when  the  hive  is  to  receive  the 
swarm,  a  stick  is  laid  across,  to  support  the  comb  as 

is  built,  from  falling  in  hot  weather.  At  such  time, 
also,  when  new,  and  used  for  the  first  time,  the  under- 
side of  the  top  is  scratched  with  the  tines  of  a  table 
fork,  or  a  nail,  so  as  to  make  a  rough  surface,  to  which 
the  new  comb  can  be  fastened.    In  addition  to  the  pails 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


255 


on  the  top  of  the  hives,  to  receive  the  surplus  honey, 
we  sometimes  use  a  fiat  box,  the  size  of  the  hive  in 
diameter,  and  six  or  seven  inches  high  inside,  which 
will  hold  twenty-five  to  thirty  pounds  of  honey.  Th-e 
pails  we  adopted  as  an  article  of  greater  convenience 
for  transporting  the  honey. 

The  other  plan  of  arranging  the  hives  alluded  to,  is 
suspending  them  between  the  strips  before  described, 
by  means  of  cleats  secured  on  to  the  front  and  rear 
sides  of  the  hive,  say  two-thirds  the  way  up  from  the 
bottom.  In  such  case,  the  strips  running  lengthwise 
the  house  must  be  brought  near  enough  together  to 
receive  the  hives  as  hung  by  the  cleats,  and  the  bottom 
boards,  or  forms,  must  be  much  smaller  than  those 
already  described,  and  hung  with  wire  hooks  and  sta- 
ples to  the  sides,  with  a  button  on  the  rear,  to  close 
up,  or  let  them  down  a  sufficient  distance  to  admit 
the  air  to  pass  freely  across  them,  and  up  into  the 
hive  —  Weeks'  plan,  in  fact,  for  which  he  lias  a  patent, 
together  with  some  other  fancied  improvements,  such 
as  chambers  to  receive  the  boxes  for  the  deposit  of 
surplus  honey.  This,  by  the  way,  is  the  best  u patent" 
we  have  seen ;  and  Mr.  Weeks  having  written  an  in- 
genious and  excellent  treatise  on  the  treatment  of  the 
bee,  we  freely  recommend  his  book  to  the  attention  of 
every  apiarian  who  wishes  to  succeed  in  their  manage- 
ment. As  a  rule,  we  have  no  confidence  in  patent 
hives.  We  have  seen  scores  of  them,  of  different 
kinds,  have  tried  several  of  great  pretension  to  sundry 
virtues  —  such  as  excluding  moths,  and  other  marvel- 
ous benefits — and,  after  becoming  the  victim  of  bee 


256 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


empirics  to  the  tune  of  many  a  dollar,  have  thrown 

aside  the  gimcracks,  and  taken  again  to  a  common- 
sense  method  of  keeping  our  bees,  as  here  described 
The  bees  themselves,  we  feel  bound  to  say,  seem  to 
hold  these  patent-right  habitations  in  quite  as  sovereign 
contempt  as  ourself,  reluctantly  going  into  them,  and 
getting  out  of  them  at  the  first  safe  opportunity.  But, 
as  a  treatise  on  bee-keeping  is  not  a  part  of  this  present 
work,  we  must,  for  further  information,  commend  the 
Inquirer  on  that  subject  to  some  of  the  valuable  trea- 
tises extant,  on  so  prolific  a  subject,  among  which  we 
name  those  of  Bevan,  Weeks,  and  Miner. 

The  bee-house  should  be  thoroughly  whitewashed 
inside  every  spring,  and  kept  clean  of  cobwebs, 
wasp's  nests,  and  vermin ;  and  it  may  be  painted  out- 
side, a  soft  and  agreeable  color,  in  keeping  with  the 
other  buildings  of  the  farm.  Its  premises  should  be 
clean,  and  sweet.  The  grass  around  should  be  kept 
mowed  close.  Low  trees,  or  shrubbery,  should  stand 
within  a  few  yards  of  it,  that  the  new  swarms  may 
light  upon  them  when  coming  out,  and  not,  for  want 
of  such  settling  places,  be  liable  to  loss  from  flying 
away.  It  should,  also,  be  within  sight  and  hearing, 
and  at  no  great  distance  from  a  continually-frequented 
room  in  the  dwelling  — perhaps  the  kitchen,  if  con- 
venient, that,  in  their  swarming  season,  they  may  be 
secured  as  they  leave  the  parent  hive.  The  apiary  is 
a  beautiful  object,  with  its  busy  tenantry ;  and  to  the 
invalid,  or  one  who  loves  to  look  upon  God's  tiny 
creatures,  it  may  while  away  many  an  agreeable 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


257 


hour,  in  watching  their  labors  —  thus  adding  pleasure 
to  profit. 

The  cost  of  a  bee-house,  on  the  plan  given,  may  be 
from  ten  to  fifty  dollars,  according  to  the  price  of 
material,  and  the  amount  of  labor  expended  upon  it. 
It  should  not  be  an  expensive  structure,  in  any  event, 
as  its  purpose  does  not  warrant  it.  If  a  gimcrack 
affair  be  wanted,  for  the  purposes  of  ornament,  or  ex- 
pense, any  sum  of  money  may  be  squandered  upon  it 
which  the  fancy  of  its  builder  may  choose  to  sj,<ue. 


25s 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


AN  ICE-HOUSE. 


Among  the  useful  and  convenient  appendages  to  the 
farm  and  country  family  establishment,  is  the  ice- 
house. Different  from  the  general  opinion  which  pre- 
vailed  in  our  country  before  ice  became  so  important 
an  article  of  commerce,  and  of  home  consumption,  the 
building  which  contains  it  should  stand  above-ground, 
instead  of  below  it.  AjicI  the  plainer  and  more  simple 
it  can  be  constructed,  the  better. 

The  position  of  the  ice-house  may  be  that  which  is 
most  convenient  to  the  dwelling,  or  to  the  wants  of 
those  who  use  it.  If  it  can  be  placed  beneath  the 
shade  of  trees,  it  will  so  far  be  relieved  from  the  influ- 
ence of  the  sun ;  but  it  should  be  so  constructed  that 
sunshine  will  not  affect  the  ice  within  it,  even  if  it 
stand  unsheltered ;  and  as  it  has,  by  the  ice-merchants 
of  our  eastern  cities,  who  put  up  large  quantities  for 
exportation  abroad,  and  others  in  the  interior,  who 
furnish  ice  in  quantity  for  home  consumption,  been 
proved  to  be  altogether  the  better  plan  to  build  the 
ice-house  entirely  above  ground,  we  shall  present  no 
other  mode  of  construction  than  this.  It  may  be 
added,  that  five  years'  experience  with  one  of  our  own 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


259 


building,  lias'  confirmed  our  opinion  of  the  superiorly 
of  this  over  any  other  plan  which  may  be  adopted. 

The  design  here  presented  is  of  the  most  economical 
kind,  yet  sufficiently  ornamental  to  make  it  an  agree- 
able appendage  to  any  family  establishment.  The  size 
maybe  12  feet  square  —  less  than  that  would  be  too 
small  for  keeping  ice  well  —  and  from  that  up  to  any 
required  extent.  The  idea  here  given  is  simply  the 
principle  of  construction.  The  posts  should  be  full 
eight  feet  high  above  the  ground,  to  where  the  plate 
of  the  roof  is  attached,  and  built  thus : 

Mark  out  your  ground  the  size  you  require  for  the 
house ;  then,  commencing  at  one  corner,  dig,  opposite 
each  other,  a  double  set  of  holes,  one  foot  deep,  and 
two  and  a  half  feet  apart,  on  each  side  of  the  intended 
building,  say  three  feet  equidistant,  so  that  when  the 
posts  stand  up  they  will  present  a  double  set,  one  and 
a  half  feet  apart.  Then  set  in  your  posts,  which  should 
be  of  oak,  chestnut,  or  some  lasting  wood,  and  pack 
the  earth  firmly  around  them.  If  the  posts  are  sawed, 
they  may  be  4x6  inches  in  size,  set  edgeways  toward 
each  other.  If  not  sawed,  they  may  be  round  sticks 
cut  from  the  woods,  or  split  from  the  body  of  a  tree, 
quartered  —  but  sizable,  so  as  to  appear  decent  —  and 
the  insides  facing  each  other  as  thev  stand  up,  lined  to 
a  surface  to  receive  the  planking.  Of  course,  when 
the  posts  are  set  in  the  ground,  they  are  to  show  a 
square  form,  or  skeleton  of  what  the  building  is  to  be 
when  completed.  When  this  is  done,  square  off  the 
top  of  each  post  to  a  level,  all  round ;  then  frame,  or 
spike  on  to  each  line  of  posts  a  plate,  say  six  inches 


GROUND  PLAV. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


261 


wide,  and  four  to  six  inches  deep,  and  stay  the  two 
plates  together  strongly,  so  as  to  form  a  double  frame. 
Now,  plank,  or  board  up  closely  the  inside  of  each 
line  of  posts,  that  the  space  between  them  shall  be  a 
fair  surface.  Cut  out,  or  leave  out  a  space  for  a  door 
i\  the  center  of  the  side  where  you  want  it,  two  and  a 
L\\f  or  three  feet  wide,  and  six  and  a  half  feet  high^ 
and  board  up  the  inner  partition  sides  of  this  opening, 
so  as  to  form  a  door-casing  on  each  side,  that  the  space 
between  the  two  lines  of  posts  may  be  a  continuous  box 
all  around.  Then  fill  up  this  space  between  the  posts 
with  moist  tan-bark,  or  saw-dust,  well  packed  from 
the  ground  up  to  the  plates  ;  and  the  body  of  the  house 
is  inclosed,  sun-proof,  and  air-proof,  to  guard  the  ice. 

If  ow  lay  down,  inside  the  building,  some  sticks  — 
not  much  matter  what,  so  that  they  be  level —  and  on 
them  lay  loose  planks  or  boards,  for  a  floor.  Cover 
this  floor  with  a  coating  of  straw,  a  foot  thick,  and  it 
is  ready  to  receive  the  ice. 

For  the  roof,  take  common  3x4  joists,  as  rafters; 
or,  in  place  of  them,  poles  from  the  woods,  long  enough, 
in  a  pitch  of  full  35°  from  a  horizontal  line,  to  carry 
the  roof  at  least  four  feet  over  the  outside  of  the  plates, 
and  secure  the  rafters  well,  by  pins  or  spikes,  to  them. 
Then  board  over  and  shingle  it,  leaving  a  small  aper- 
ture at  the  top,  through  which  run  a  small  pipe,  say 
eight  inches  in  diameter  —  a  stove-crock  will  do  —  for 
a  ventilator.  Then  set  in,  4  little  posts,  say  two  feet 
high  —  as  in  the  design  —  throw  a  little  four-sided, 
pointed  cap  on  to  the  top  of  these  posts,  and  the  roof 
La  done.    If  you  want  to  ornament  the  under  side  of 


262 


RUIiAL  AKCIilTKCT  UltK. 


the  roof,  in  a  rude  way  —  and  we  would  advise  it- 
take  some  pieces  of  3x4  scantling,  such  as  were  used 
for  the  roof,  if  the  posts  are  of  sawed  stuff —  if  not, 
rough  limbs  of  trees  from  the  woods,  to  match  the 
rough  posts  of  the  same  kind,  and  fasten  them  tc 
the  posts  and  the  under  side  of  the  roof,  by  way  of 
brackets,  as  shown  in  the  design. 

When  the  ice  is  put  into  the  house,  a  close  floor  of 
boards  should  be  laid  on  joists,  which  rest  on  the 
plates,  loosely,  so  that  this  floor  can  be  removed  when 
putting  in  ice,  and  that  covered  five  or  six  inches  deep 
with  tan,  or  saw-dust  —  straw  will  do,  if  the  other  can 
not  be  had  —  and  the  inside  arrangement  is  complete. 
Two  doors  should  be  attached  to  the  opening,  where 
the  ice  is  put  in  and  taken  out ;  one  on  the  inner  side 
of  the  lining,  and  the  other  on  the  outer  side,  both 
opening  out.  Tan,  saw-dust,  or  straw  should  also  be 
placed  on  the  top  of  the  ice,  when  put  in,  so  as  to  keep 
the  air  from  it  as  much  as  possible ;  and  as  the  ice  is 
removed,  it  will  settle  down  upon,  and  still  preserve  it. 
Care  must  be  taken  to  have  a  drain  under  the  floor  of 
the  house,  to  pass  off  the  water  which  melts  from  the 
ice,  as  it  would,  if  standing  there,  injure  its  keeping. 

It  will  be  seen,  that,  by  an  error  in  the  cut  of  the 
ground  plan,  the  inside  line  of  posts  does  not  show,  as 
in  the  outer  line,  which  they  should  do ;  nor  is  the  out- 
side door  inserted,  as  is  shown  in  the  elevation.  These 
defects,  however,  will  be  rectified  by  the  builder. 

We  have  given  considerable  thought  to  this  subject, 
and  can  devise  no  shape  to  the  building  more  appro- 
priate than  this,  nor  one  cheaper  in  construction.  It 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


263 


may  be  built  for  fifty  to  a  hundred  dollars,  according 
to  the  cost  of  material  and  labor,  and  the  degree  of 
finish  given  to  it. 

It  is  hardly  worth  whiie  to  expatiate  upon  the  con- 
venience and  economy  of  an  ico-house,  to  an  Ameri- 
can. Those  who  love  well-kept  meats,  fruits,  butter, 
milk,  and  various  etceteras  for  the  table,  understand 
its  utility  well ;  to  say  nothing  of  the  cooling  draughts, 
in  the  way  of  drinks,  in  hot  weather,  to  which  it 
adds  —  when  not  taken  to  extremes  —  such  positive 
luxury.  "We  commend  the  ice-house,  well-filled,  most 
heartily,  to  every  good  country  housekeeper,  as  a 
matter  of  convenience,  economy,  and  luxury,  adding 
next  to  nothing  to  the  living  expenses,  and,  as  an 
appendage  to  the  main  buildings,  an  item  of  little  cost, 
and  a  considerable  degree  of  ornament. 

If  an  under-ground  ice-house  be  preferred  to  the 
plan  here  shown,  a  side  hill,  or  bank,  with  a  northerly 
exposure,  is  the  best  location  for  it ;  and  the  manner 
of  building  should  be  mainly  like  this,  for  the  body  of 
the  house.  The  roof,  however,  should  be  only  two- 
sided,  and  the  door  for  putting  in  and  taking  out  the 
ice  may  be  in  the  gable,  on  the  ground  level.  The 
drainage  under  the  floor,  and  precautions  for  keeping 
the  :°e,  should  be  quite  as  thorough  as  we  have  de- 
scribed ;  as,  otherwise,  the  earth  surrounding  it  on 
three  sides,  at  least,  of  the  house,  will  be  a  ready  con- 
ductor of  warmth,  and  melt  the  ice  with  great  rapiditj  . 
If  the  under-ground  plan  is  adopted,  but  little  more 
than  the  roof  .will  show,  and  of  course,  be  of  litti* 
ornament  in  the  way  of  appearance. 


264 


"RURAL   A  KOHTTECTinWPL 


A  ■ 

THE  ASH-HOUSE  AND  SMOKE-HOUSE. 


These  two  objects  may,  both  for  convenience  and 
economy,  be  well  combined  under  one  roof;  and  we 
have  thus  placed  them  in  connection.  The  building  is 
an  exceedingly  simple  structure,  made  of  stone,  or 
brick ;  the  body  10  feet  high,  and  of  such  size  as  may 
be  desirable,  with  a  simple  roof,  and  a  plain,  hooded 
chimney. 

In  the  ground  plan  will  be  seen  a  brick,  or  stone 
partition — which  may  extend  to  such  height  as  may  be 
necessary  to  contain  the  bulk  of  ashes  required  for  stor- 
age within  it  —  on  one  side  of  the  building,  to  which 
a  door  gives  access.  The  opposite  side,  and  overhead, 
is  devoted  to  the  smoke-house,  in  which  the  various 
girts  and  hooks  may  be  placed,  for  sustaining  the 
meats  to  be  smoked.  The  building  should  be  tied 
together  by  joists  at  the  plates,  properly  anchored  into 
the  walls,  to  prevent  their  spreading.  A  stove,  or 
pans,  or  neither,  as  the  method  of  keeping  the  smoke 
alive  may  govern,  can  be  placed  inside,  to  which  the 
chimney  in  the  roof  may  serve  as  a  partial  escape, 
or  not,  as  required.    The  whole  process  is  so  simple 


ASH   HOUSE   AND   SMOKE  HOUSE. 


GROUND  PLAN. 


266 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


and  so  easily  understood,  that  further  explanation  is 
unnecessary. 

A  great  advantage  that  a  house  of  this  construction 
has,  is  the  convenience  of  storing  the  smoked  meats 
for  an  indefinite  time,  even  through  the  whole  season, 
keeping  them  dark,  dry,  and  cool ;  and  permitting,  at 
any  time,  a  smoke  to  be  made,  to  drive  out  the  flies, 
if  they  find  their  way  into  it. 

The  ashes  can,  of  course,  be  removed  at  any  time^ 
by  Die  door  at  which  they  are  thrown  in. 


BUBAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


267 


THE  POULTRY-HOUSE. 


As  poultry  is  an  indispensable  appendage  to  the 
farm,  in  all  eases,  the  poultry-house  is  equally  indis- 
pensable, for  their  accommodation,  and  for  the  most 
profitable  management  of  the  fowls  themselves,  and 
most  convenient  for  the  production  of  their  eggs  and 
young.  Indeed,  without  well-arranged  quarters  for 
the  fowls  of  the  farm,  they  are  exceedingly  trouble- 
some,  and  of  doubtful  profit;  but  with  the  proper 
buildings  devoted  to  them  exclusively,  they  become 
one  of  the  most  interesting  and  agreeable  objects  with 
which  either  the  farm  or  the  country  house  is  associated. 

It  is  hardly  worth  while  to  eulogize  poultry.  Their 
merits  and  virtues  are  written  in  the  hearts  of  all  prov- 
ident housekeepers  ;  and  their  beauty  and  goodness  are 
familiar  to  every  son  and  daughter  of  the  rural  home- 
stead. We  shall,  then,  proceed  at  once  to  discuss 
their  proper  accommodation,  in  the  cheapest  and  most 
familiar  method  with  which  we  are  acquainted. 

The  hen-house  —  for  hens  (barn-door  fowls,  we  mean) 
are  the  first  and  chief  stock,  of  the  kind,  to  be  pro- 
vided for,  and  wTith  them  most  of  the  other  varieties 
11* 


268 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


can  be  associated  —  should  be  located  in  a  warm,  shel- 
tered, and  sunny  place,  with  abundant  grounds  about  it, 
where  they  can  graze  —  Iftas  eat  grass  —  and  scratch, 
and  enjoy  themselves  to  their  heart's  content,  in  all 
seasons,  when  the  ground  is  open  and  they  can  scratch 
into,  or  range  over  its  surface.  Some  people  —  indeed, 
a  good  many  people  —  picket  in  their  gardens,  to  keep 
hens  out;  but  we  prefer  an  enclosure  to  keep  the  hens 
m,  at  all  seasons  when  they  are  troublesome,  which, 
after  all,  is  only  during  short  seasons  of  the  year,  when 
seeds  are  planted,  or  sown,  and  grain  and  vegetables 
are  ripening.  Otherwise,  they  may  range  at  will,  on 
the  farm,  doing  good  in  their  destruction  of  insects, 
and  deriving  much  enjoyment  to  themselves  ;  for  hens, 
on  the  whole,  are  happy  things. 

We  here  present  the  elevation  of  a  poultry-house  in 
perspective,  to  show  the  principle  which  we  would 
adopt  in  its  construction,  and  which  may  be  extended 
to  any  required  length,  and  to  which  may  be  added 
any  given  area  of  ground,  or  yard -room,  wdiich  the 
circumstances  of  the  proprietor  may  devote  to  it.  It 
is,  as  will  be  seen,  of  a  most  rustic  appearance,  and 
built  as  cheaply,  yet  thoroughly,  as  the  subject  may 
require.  Its  length,  we  will  say,  is  20  feet,  its  breadth 
16,  and  its  height  10  feet,  made  of  posts  set  into  the 
ground  —  for  we  do  not  like  sills,  and  floors  of  wood, 
because  rats  are  apt  to  burrow  under  them,  which  are 
their  worst  enemies  —  and  boarded  up,  either  inside  or 
outside,  as  in  the  case  of  the  ice-house  previously  de- 
scribed, though  not  double.  Plates  are  laid  on  these 
posts,  to  connect  them  firmly  together ;  and  the  rafters 


POULTRY  LAWN. 


GROUND  PLAN, 


270 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


rest  on  the  plates,  as  usual.  The  chamber  floor  is  9 
feet  high,  above  the  ground,  and  may  be  used  either 
for  laying  purposes  by  the  fowls,  or  reserved  as  a  stor- 
age-room for  their  feed.  The  roof  is  broadly  drawn 
over  the  body  of  the  building,  to  shelter  it,  and  through 
the  point  of  the  roof,  in  the  center,  is  a  ventilator,  with 
a  covered  top,  and  a  vane  significant  of  its  purpose- 
It  is  also  sufficiently  lighted,  with  glass  windows,  into 
wdiich  our  draughtsman  has  put  the  diamond-paned 
glass,  contrary  to  our  notions  ;  but,  as  he  had,  no  doubt, 
an  eye  to  the  "  picturesque,"  we  let  it  pass,  only  re- 
marking, that  if  we  were  building  the  house  on  our 
own  account,  there  should  be  no  such  nonsense  about 
it.  '  The  front  windows  are  large,  to  attract-  the  warmth 
of  the  winter's  sun.  A  section  of  picket  fence  is  also 
attached,  and  trees  in  the  rear  —  both  of  which  are 
necessary  to  a  complete  establishment;  the  first,  to 
secure  the  poultry  in  the  contiguous  yards,  and  the 
trees  to  give  them  shade,  and  even  roosting-places,  if 
they  prefer  such  lodgings  in  warm  weather —  for  which 
we  consider  them  eminently  wholesome. 

The  wooden  floor  is  dispensed  with,  as  was  remarked, 
to  keep  rid  of  the  vermin.  If  the  ground  be  gravelly, 
or  sandy,  it  will  be  sufficiently  dry.  If  a  heavy  or 
damp  soil  be  used,  it  should  be  under-drained,  which 
will  effectually  dry  it,  and  be  better  for  the  fowls  than 
a  floor  of  either  wood,  brick,  or  stone.  Doors  of  suffi- 
cient size  can  be  made  on  the  yard  sides  of  the  house, 
near  the  ground,  for  the  poultry  to  enter  either  the  liv- 
ing or  roosting  apartments,  at  pleasure,  and  hung  with 
butts  on  the  upper  side,  to  be  closed  when  necessary. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


371 


INTERIOR  ARRANGEMENT. 

The  front  door  opens  into  the.  main  living  room.  At 
each  end,  and  in  the  reai ,  are  tiers  of  boxes,  one  foot 
wide,  one  and  a  half  feet  long,  and  one  and  a  half  feet 
high  — the  lowest  tier  elevated  two  feet  above  the 
ground  —  and  built  one  tier  above  the  other,  and 
snugly  partitioned  between,  with  a  hole  at  one  corner 
of  each,  ten  inches  high,  and  eight  inches  wide,  for 
passing  in  to  them ;  and  a  shelf,  or  passage-board,  nine 
inches  wide,  in  front.  These  are  the  nesting  boxes, 
and  should  be  kept  supplied  with  short,  soft  straw,  or 
hay  orts,  for  that  purpose.  Hens  love  secrecy  in  their 
domestic  economy,  and  are  wonderfully  pleased  with 
the  opportunity  to  hide  away,  and  conceal  themselves 
while  laying.  Indeed,  such  concealment,  or  the  sup- 
position of  it,  we  have  no  doubt  promotes  fecundity, 
as  it  is  well  known  that  a  hen  com  stop  laying,  almost 
at  pleasure,  when  disturbed  in  her  regular  habits  and 
settled  plans  of  life.    Burns  says  — 

"  The  best  laid  schemes  of  mice  and  men 
Gang  aft  agley  ;  " 

and  why  not  hen's  ?  We  think  so.  If  turkeys  be  kept 
in  the  premises,  the  females  can  also  be  accommodated 
in  these  boxes,  as  they  are  fond  of  laying  in  company 
with  the  hens,  and  frequently  in  the  same  nests,  only 
that  they  require  larger  entrances  into  them ;  or,  a 
tier  of  boxes  may  be  made  on  the  ground,  for  their 
convenience. 


272 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


A  door  leads  from  the  rear  of  this  room  into  the 
roosting  apartment,  through  which  is  a  passage  to  the 
back  side  of  the  building,  and  a  door  opposite,  leading 
out  into  the  yard.  On  each  side  of  this  passage  are 
roosts,  rising,  each  behind  and  above  the  other,  18 
inches  apart.  The  lowest  roosts  may  be  three  feet 
from  the  ground,  and  the  highest  six  feet,  that  they 
may  easily  fly  from  one  to  the  other ;  and  in  this  way 
they  may  all  be  approached,  to  catch  the  fowls,  when 
required.  For  the  roosts,  slender  poles,  two  to  three 
inches  in  diameter — small  trees,  cut  from  the  woods, 
with  the  bark  on,  are  the  best  —  may  be  used;  and 
they  should  be  secured  through  augur  holes  in  board 
slats  suspended  from  the  floor  joists  overhead.  This 
apartment  should  be  cleaned  out  as  often  as  once  a 
fortnight,  both  for  cleanliness  and  health  —  for  fowls 
like  to  be  clean,  and  to  have  pure  air.  A  flight  of 
stairs  may  be  made  in  one  corner  of  the  front  room,  to 
go  into  the  chamber,  if  preferred  ;  but  a  swing  ladder, 
hung  by  one  end,  with  hinges,  to  the  joists  above, 
is.  for  such  purpose,  a  more  cleanly  mode  of  access ; 
which,  when  not  in  use,  may  be  hooked  up  to  the 
under  side  of  the  floor  above  ;  and  a  trap  door,  shutting 
into  the  chamber  floor,  and  also  hung  on  hinges,  will 
accommodate  the  entrance. 

For  feeding  troughs,  we  have  seen  many  ingenious 
contrivances,  and  among  them,  possibly,  a  Yankee 
patent,  or  two;  but  all  these Ve  put  aside,  as  of  little 
account.  A  common  segar  box,  or  any  other  cast-off 
thing,  that  will  hold  their  food,  is  just  as  good  as  the 
most  complicated  invention ;  and,  in  common  feeding, 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


273 


there  is  no  better  mode  than  to  scatter  abroad  their 
corn,  and  let  them  pick  it  up  at  their  pleasure  —  when 
Bp]  :  ad  on  a  clean  surface.  We  think,  also,  that,  except 
for  fattening  poultry,  stated  hours  of  feeding  are  best 
for  the  birds  themselves,  and  that  they  be  fed  only 
such  quantity  as  they  will  pick  up  clean.  Water 
should,  if  possible,  be  kept  constantly  by  them ;  and 
if  a  small  running  stream  could  pass  through  the  yard, 
all  the  better. 

If  it  be  desirable  to  have  fresh  eggs  during  winter — 
and  that  is  certainly  a  convenience  —  a  box  stove  may 
be  set  in  the  living  room,  and  properly  protected  by  a 
grating  around  it,  for  warming  the  living  apartment. 
It  may  be  remarked,  however,  that  this  winter-laving 
of  hens  is  usually  a  forcing  business.  A  hen  will  lay 
but  about  a  given  number  of  eggs  in  a  year ;  say  a 
hundred — we  believe  this  is  about  the  number  which 
the  most  observant  of  poultry-keepers  allow  them — - 
and  what  she  lays  in  winter  must  be  substracted  from 
the  number  she  would  otherwise  lay  in  the  spring,  sum- 
mer, or  autumn.  Yet  a  warm  house  will,  laying,  aside, 
keep  the  fowls  with  less  food,  and  in  greater  comfort, 
than  if  cold,  and  left  to  their  own  natural  warmth. 

There  is  usually  little  difficulty  in  keeping  hens,  tur- 
kies, ducks,  and  geese  together,  in  the  same  inclosure, 
during  winter  and  early  spring,  before  the  grass  grows. 
I) at  geese  and  turkies  require  greater  range  during  the 
warm  season  than  the  others,  and  should  have  it,  both 
for  convenience  to  themselves  and  profit  to  their  own- 
ers. For  winter  quarters,  low  shelters  may  be  made 
for  the  water-fowls  in  the  yards,  and  the  turkies  will 


274 


RURAL,  ARCHITECTURE. 


frequently  prefer  to  share  the  shelter  of  the  hens,  on 

the  roosts  in  the  house.  Guinea-hens  —  cruel,  vindic- 
tive things,  as  they  are — should  never  be  allowed 
within  a  common  poultry  yard.  Always  quarrelsome, 
and  never  quiet,  they  should  take  to  the  farmyard, 
with  the  cattle,  where  they  may  range  at  will,  and 
take  their  amusement  in  fisticuffs  with  each  other,  at 
pleasure.  Neither  should  peacocks  be  allowed  to  come 
into  the  poultry  inclosures,  during  the  breeding  season ; 
they  are  anything  but  amiable  in  their  manners  to 
other  birds. 

With  the  care  and  management  of  the  poultry  de- 
partment, after  thus  providing  for  their  accommodation, 
it  is  not  our  province  to  interfere ;  that  is  a  subject 
too  generally  understood,  to  require  further  remark. 
Nor  need  we  discuss  the  many  varieties  of  poultry 
which,  at  the  present  time,  so  arrest  the  attention  of 
many  of  our  good  country  people ;  and  wre  will  leave 
so  important  a  subject  to  the  meditations  of  the  "  New 
England  Poultry  Society,5'  who  have  taken  the  galli- 
naceous, and  other  tribes  under  their  special  cognizance, 
and  will,  doubtless,  in  due  time,  illumine  tne  world 
with  various  knowledge  in  this  department  of  rural 
economy,  not  yet  "  dreamt  of  in  our  philosophy." 
The  recently  published  poultry  books,  too,  with  an 
amplitude  and  particularity  in  the  discussion  of  the 
different  breeds  and  varieties,  which  shuts  all  suspi- 
cions of  self-interest  into  the  corner,  have  given  such 
a  fund  of  information  on  the  subject,  that  any  further 
inquiry  may,  with  entire  good  will,  be  turned  over  to 
their  pagea. 


BUBAL  ARCH  ITECTUBE . 


27S 


THE  DOVECOTE. 


This  is  a  department,  in  itself,  not  common  among 
the  farm  buildings,  in  the  United  States ;  and  for  the 
reason,  probably,  that  the  domestic  pigeon,  or  house- 
dove  is  usually  kept  more  for  amusement  than  for 
profit-  — f  here  being  little  actual  profit  about  them  — 
and  is  readily  accommodated  in  the  spare  lofts  of 
sheds  and  out-buildings  devoted  to  other  purposes. 
Pigeons,  however,  add  to  the  variety  and  interest  of 
the  poultry  department ;  and  as  there  are  many  differ- 
ent breeds  of  them,  they  are  general  favorites  with  the 
juveniles  of  the  family. 

Our  present  object  is,  not  to  propose  any  distinct 
building  for  pigeon  accommodation ;  bat  to  give  them 
a  location  in  other  buildings,  where  they  wfill  be  con- 
veniently provided  with  room,  and  least  annoying  by 
their  presence  —  for,  be  it  known,  they  are  oft-times  a 
most  serious  annoyance  to  many  crops  of  the  farm, 
when  kept  in  any  considerable  numbers,  as  well  as  in 
the  waste  and  havoc  they  make  in  the  stores  of  the 
barns  anl  granaries.  Although  graceful  and  .beautiful 
birds,  generally  clean  and  tidy  in  their  personal  habits 


276 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


out  of  doors,  they  are  the  filthiest  housekeepers  imag- 
inable, and  no  building  can  be  especially  devoted  to 
their  use,  if  not  often  swept  and  cleaned,  but  what  will 
soon  become  an  intolerable  nuisance  within,  and  not 
much  better  without,  and  the  ground  immediately 
around  the  premises  a  dirty  place.  The  common 
pigeon  is  a  pugnacious  cavalier,  warring  apparently 
upon  mere  punctilio,  as  we  have  often  seen,  in  the  dis- 
tant strut-and-coo  of  a  stranger  bird  to  his  mate,  even 
if  she  be  the  very  incarnation  of  "  rejected  addresses/' 
On  all  these  accounts,  we  would  locate  —  unless  a 
small  and  select  family  of  fancy  birds,  perhaps — the 
pigeon  stock  at  the  principal  farm-yard,  and  in  the 
lofts  of  the  cattle  sheds,  or  the  chambers  of  the  stable. 

Wherever  the  pigeon  accommodations  are  designed 
to  be,  a  close  partition  should  separate  their  quarters 
from  the  room  occupied  for  other  purposes,  with  doors 
for  admission  to  those  who  have  to  do  with  them,  in 
cleaning  their  premises,  or  to  take  the  birds,  when 
needed.  A  line  of  holes,  five  inches  high,  and  four 
inches  wide  —  the  top  of  the  hole  slightly  arched  — 
should  be  made,  say  18  inches  apart,  for  the  distance 
of  room  they  are  to  occupy  in  the  building.  A  foot 
xbove  the  top  of  these,  another  line  may  be  made  ;  and 
so  on,  tiering  them  up  to  the  height  intended  to  devote 
to  them.  A  line  of  shelves,  or  lighting-boards,  six  to 
eight  inches  wide,  should  theu  be  placed  one  inch 
below  the  bottom  of  these  holes,  and  firmly  braced 
beneath,  and  nailed  to  the  weather-boarding  of  the 
house.  Inside,  a  range  of  box  should  be  made,  of  cor- 
responding length  with  the  line  of  holes,  to  embrace 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


277 


every  entrance  from  the  outside,  18  inches  wide,  and 
partitioned  equidistant  between  each  entrance,  so  as  to 
give  a  square  box  of  18  inches  to  each  pair  of  birds. 
The  bottom  board  of  each  ascending  tier  of  boxes  will, 
of  course,  be  the  top  of  the  boxes  below,  and  these 
must  be  made  perfectly  tight,  to  prevent  the  offal  of 
the  upper  ones  from  falling  through,  to  the  annoyance, 
of  their  neighbors  below.  The  back  of  these  boxes 
should  have  a  line  of  swing  doors,  hung  with  butts,  or 
hinges,  from  the  top,  and  fastened  with  buttons,  or 
hooks,  at  the  bottom,  to  allow  admission,  or  examina- 
tion, at  any  time,  to  those  who  have  the  care  of  them. 
This  plan  of  door  is  indispensable,  to  clean  them  out— 
which  should  be  done  as  often  as  once  a  week,  or  fort- 
night, at  farthest  —  and  to  secure  the  birds  as  they 
may  be  wanted  for  the  table,  or  other  purposes  — for  it 
will  be  recollected  that  squabs,  just  feathered  out,  are 
considered  a  delicious  dish,  at  the  most  sumptuous 
tables.  It  will  be  understood,  that  these  boxes  above 
described,  are  within  a  partitioned  room,  with  a  floor, 
in  their  rear,  witli  sufficient  space  for  the  person  in 
charge  of  them  to  pass  along,  and  to  hold  the  baskets, 
or  whatever  is  to  receive  the  offal  of  their  boxes,  as  it 
is  taken  out.  This  offal  is  valuable,  as  a  highly  stimu- 
lating manure,  and  is  sought  for  by  the  morocco  tan- 
ners, at  a  high  price  —  frequently  at  twenty-five  cents 
a  bushel. 

As  pigeons  are  prolific  breeders,  laying  and  hatch- 
iiM£  six  or  seven  times  a  year,  and  in  warm  climates 
c  ener,  they  require  a  good  supply  of  litter — short 
i  t,  soft  straw  is  the  best — which  should  be  freely 


878 


BUKAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


supplied  at  every  new  incubation,  and  the  old  littei 
removed.  The  boxes,  too,  should  be  in  a  warm  place, 
snugly  made,  and  well  sheltered  from  the  wind  and 
driving  storms;  for  pigeons,  although  hardy  birds 
when  grown,  should  be  well  protected  while  young. 

The  common  food  of  the  pigeon  is  grain,  of  almost 
any  kind,  and  worms,  and  other  insects,  which  they 
pick  up  in  the  field.  On  the  whole,  they  are  a  pleas- 
ant bird,  when  they  can  be  conveniently  kept,  and  are 
worth  the  trifling  cost  that  their  proper  housing  may 
demand. 

If  our  opinion  were  asked,  as  to  the  best,  and  least 
troublesome  kind  of  pigeon  to  be  kept,  we  should  say, 
the  finest  and  most  hardy  of  the  common  kind,  which 
are  usually  found  in  the  collections  throughout  the 
the  country.  But  there  are  m&ny  fancy  breeds  — such 
as  the  fan-tail,  the  powter,  the  tumbler,  the  ruffler,  and 
perhaps  another  variety  or  two  —  all  pretty  birds,  and 
each  distinct  in  their  appearance,  and  in  some  of  their 
domestic  habits.  The  most  beautiful  of  the  pigeon 
kind,  however,  is  the  Carrier.  They  are  the  very  per- 
fection of  grace,  and  symmetry,  and  beauty.  Their 
colors  are  always  brilliant  and  changing,  and  in  their 
flight  they  cleave  the  air  with  a  rapidity  which  no 
other  variety  —  indeed,  which  scarce  any  other  bird, 
of  any  kind,  can  equal.  History  is  full  of  examples 
of  their  usefulness,  in  carrying  tidings  from  one  coun- 
try to  another,  in  letters,  or  tokens,  fastened  to  their 
necks  or  legs,  for  which  they  are  trained  by  those  who 
have  thus  used  them  ;  but  which,  now,  the  well  known 
telegraph  wire  has  nearly  superseded. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


279 


Al]  these  fancy  breeds  require  great  care  in  their 
management,  to  keep  them  pure  in  blood,  as  they  will 
all  mix,  more  or  less,  with  the  common  pigeon,  as  they 
come  in  contact  with  them  ;  and  the  selection  of  what- 
ever kind  is  wanted  to  be  kept,  must  be  left  to  those 
who  are  willing  to  bestow  the  pains  which  their  neces- 
sary care  may  demand. 


A  PIGGrEKY. 

The  hog  is  an  animal  for  which  we  have  no  especial 
liking,  be  he  either  a  tender  suckling,  nosing  and  tug- 
ging at  the  well-filled  udder  of  his  dam,  or  a  well- 
proportioned  porker,  basking  in  all  the  plenitude  of 
swinish  luxury  ;  albeit,  in  the  use  of  his  flesh,  we  affect 
not  the  Jew,  but  liking  it  moderately  well,  in  its  vari- 
ous preparations,  as  a  substantial  and  savory  article  of 
diet.  Stilly  the  hog  is  an  important  item  of  our  agri- 
cultural economy,  and  his  production  and  proper  treat- 
ment is  a  valuable  study  to  all  who  rear  him  as  a 
creature  either  of  profit  or  convenience.  In  the  west- 
ern and  southern  states,  a  mild  climate  permits  him  to 
be  easily  reared  and  fed  off*  for  market,  with  little 
heed  to  shelter  or  protection ;  while  in  the  north,  he 
requires  care  and  covering  during  winter.  ISTot  only 
this ;  in  all  places  the  hog  is  an  unruly,  mischievous 
creature,  and  has  no  business  really  in  any  othe? 


280 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


place  than  where  he  can  be  controlled,  and  kept  at  a 
moment's  call. 

But,  as  tastes  and  customs  differ  essentially,  with 
regard  to  his  training  and  destiny,  to  such  as  agree 
with  us  in  opinion,  that  his  proper  place  is  in  the  sty, 
particularly  when  feeding  for  pork,  a  plan  of  piggery 
is  given,  such  as  may  be  economical  in  construction, 
and  convenient  in  its  arrangement,  both  for  the  swine 
itself,  and  him  who  has  charge  of  him. 

The  design  here  given,  is  for  a  building,  36  feet  long, 
and  24  feet  wide,  with  twelve-feet  posts ;  the  lower,  or 
living  room  for  the  swine,  9  feet  high,  and  a  storage 
chamber  above,  for  the  grain  and  other  food  required 
for  his  keeping.  The  roof  has  a  pitch  of  40°  from  a 
horizontal  line,  spreading  over  the  sides  and  gables  at 
least  20  inches,  and  coarsely  bracketed.  The  entrance 
front  projects  G  feet  from  the  main  building,  by  12  feet 
in  length.  Over  its  main  door,  in  the  gable,  is  a  door 
with  a  hoisting  beam  and  tackle  above  it,  to  take  in 
the  grain,  and  a  floor  over  the  whole  area  receives  it. 
A  window  is  in  each  gable  end.  A  ventilator  passes 
up  through  this  chamber  and  the  roof,  to  let  off  the 
steam  from  the  cooking  vats  below,  and  the  foul  air 
emitted  by  the  swine,  by  the  side  of  which  is  the  fur 
nace-chimney,  giving  it,  on  the  whole,  as  respectable 
an  appearance  as  a  pigsty  need  pretend  to. 


PIGGERY. 


282 


BUBAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


INTERIOR  ARRANGEMENT* 

At  the  left  of  the  entrance  is  a  flight  of  stairs,  (&,) 
leading  to  the  chamber  above.  On  the  right  is  a  small 
area,  with  a  window  to  light  it.  A  door  from  this 
leads  into  the  main  room,  (6-,)  where  stands  a  chimney, 
(d,)  with  a  furnace  to  receiye  the  fuel  for  cooking  the 
food,  for  which  are  two  kettles,  or  boilers,  with  wooden 
vats,  on  the  top,  if  the  extent  of  food  demands  them ; 
these  are  secured  with  broad  wooden  covers,  to  keep 
in  the  steam  when  cooking.  An  iron  valve  is  placed 
in  the  back  flue  of  the  furnace,  which  may  fall  upon 
ather  side,  to  shut  off  the  Are  from  either  of  the  ket- 
tles, around  which  the  fire  may  revolve ;  or,  the  valve 
may  stand  in  a  perpendicular  position,  at  will,  if  both 
kettles  be  heated  at  the  same  time.  But,  as  the  most 
economical  mode  is  to  cook  one  kettle  while  the  other 
is  in  process  of  feeding  out,  and  vice  versa,  scarcely 
more  than  one  at  a  time  will  be  required  in  use.  Over 
each  kettle  is  a  sliding  door,  with  a  short  spout  to  slide 
the  food  into  them,  when  wanted.  If  necessary,  and 
it  can  be  conveniently  done,  a  well  may  be  sunk  under 
this  room,  and  a  pump  inserted  at  a  convenient  place; 
or  if  equally  convenient,  a  pipe  may  bring  the  water 
in  from  a  neighboring  stream,  or  spring.  On  three 
sides  of  this  room  are  feeding  pens,  (0,)  and  sleeping 
partitions,  for  the  swine.  These  several  apart- 
ments are  accommodated  with  doors,  which  open  into 
separate  yards  on  the  sides  and  in  rear,  or  a  large  one 
for  the  entire  family,  as  may  be  desired. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE 


283 


CONSTRUCTION. 

The  frame  of  this  building  is  of  strong  timber,  and 
stout  for  its  size.  The  sills  should  be  8  inches  square, 
the  corner  posts  of  the  same  size,  and  the  intermediate 
posts  8x6  inches  in  diameter.  In  the  center  of  these 
posts,  grooves  should  be  made,  2  inches  wide,  and 
deep,  to  receive  the  plank  sides,  which  should  be  2 
inches  thick,  and  let  in  from  the  level  of  the  chamber 
by  a  flush  cutting  for  that  purpose,  out  of  the  grooves 
inside,  thus  using  no  nails  or  spikes,  and  holding  the 
planks  tight  in  their  place,  that  they  may  not  be  rooted 
out,  or  rubbed  off  by  the  hogs,  and  the  inner  projec- 
tion of  the  main  posts  left  to  serve  as  rubbing  posts  for 
them  —  for  no  creature  so  loves  to  rub  his  sides,  when 
fatting,  as  a  hog,  and  this  very  natural  and  praise- 
worthy propensity  should  be  indulged.  These  planks, 
like  the  posts,  should,  particularly  the  lower  ones,  be 
of  hard  wood,  that  they  may  not  be  eaten  off.  Above 
the  chamber  floor,  thinner  planks  may  be  used,  but  all 
should  be  well  jointed,  that  they  may  lie  snug,  and 
shut  out  the  weather.  The  center  post  in  the  floor  plan 
of  the  engraving  is  omitted,  by  mistake,  but  it  should 
stand  there,  like  the  others.  Inside  posts  at  the  cor- 
ners, and  in  the  sides  of  the  partitions,  like  the  outside 
ones,  should  be  also  placed  and  grooved  to  receive  the 
planking,  four  and  a  half  feet  high,  and  their  upper 
ends  be  secured  by  tenons  into  mortices  in  the  beams 
overhead.  The  troughs  should  then,  if  possible,  be 
made  of  cast  iron,  or,  in  default  of  that,  the  hardest  of 


284 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


white  oak  plank,  strongly  spiked  on  to  the  floor  &nd 

sides;  and  the  apartment  may  then  be  called  hog- 
proof  —  for  a  more  unquiet,  destructive  creature,  to  a 
building  in  which  he  is  confined,  does  not  live,  than 
the  hog.  The  slide,  or  spout  to  conduct  the  swill  and 
other  feed  from  the  feeding-room  into  the  trough, 
should  be  inserted  through  the  partition  planks,  with  a 
steep  slant  the  whole  length  of  the  trough,  that  the 
feed  may  be  readily  thrown  into  any  or  all  parts  of  it. 
This  slide  should  be  of  two-inch  white-oak  plank,  and 
bound  along  the  bottom  by  a  strip  of  hoop-iron,  to 
prevent  the  pigs  from  eating  it  off— a  habit  they  are 
prone  to ;  then,  firmly  spiked  down  to  the  partition 
planks,  and  through  the  ends,  to  the  adjoining  studs, 
and  the  affair  is  complete.  With  what  experience  we 
have  had  with  the  hog,  and  that  by  no  means  an  agree- 
able one,  we  can  devise  no  better  method  of  accom- 
modation than  this  here  described,  and  it  certainly  is 
the  cheapest.  But  the  timber  and  lumber  used  must 
be  sound  and  strong ;  and  then,  properly  put  together, 
it  may  defy  their  most  destructive  ingenuity.  Of  the 
separate  uses  to  which  the  various  apartments  may  be 
put,  nothing  need  be  said,  as  the  circumstances  of 
every  farmer  will  best  govern  them. 

One,  to  three  hundred  dollars,  according  to  price  of 
material  and  labor,  will  build  this  piggery,  besides  fit- 
ting it  up  with  furnace  and  boilers.  It  may  be  con- 
tracted, or  enlarged  in  size,  as  necessity  may  direct; 
but  no  one,  with  six  to  twenty  porkers  in  his  fatting 
pens,  a  year,  will  regret  the  expense  of  building  a  con- 
venient appurtenance  of  this  kind  to  his  establishment 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


285 


A  word  may  be  pardoned,  in  relation  to  the  too  uni- 
versal practice  of  permitting  swine  to  prowl  along  the 
highways,  and  in  the  yards  and  lawns  of  the  farm 
house.  There  is  nothing  so  slovenly,  wasteful,  and 
destructive  to  one's  thrift,  and  so  demoralizing,  in  a 
small  way,  as  is  this  practice.  What  so  revolting  to 
one,  of  the  least  tidy  nature  whatever,  as  a  villainous 
brute,  with  a  litter  of  filthy  pigs  at  her  heels,  and  the 
slimy  ooze  of  a  mud-puddle  reeking  and  dripping  from 
their  sides?  See  the  daubs  of  mud  marking  every 
fence-post,  far  and  near,  along  the  highway,  or  where- 
ever  they  run !  A  burrow  is  rooted  up  at  every  shady 
point,  a  nuisance  at  every  corner  you  turn,  and  their 
abominable  snouts  into  everything  that  is  filthy,  or 
obscene  —  a  living  curse  to  all  that  is  decent  about 
them.  An  Ishmaelite  among  the  farm  stock,  they  are 
shunned  and  hated  by  every  living  thing,  when  at 
large.  But,  put  the  creature  in  his  pen,  with  a  ring 
in  his  nose,  if  permitted  to  go  into  the  adjoining  yard, 
and  comfortably  fed,  your  pig,  if  of  a  civilized  breed, 
is  a  quiet,  inoffensive  —  indeed,  gentlemanly  sort  of 
animal ;  and  as  such,  he  is  entitled  to  our  toleration — ■ 
regard,  we  cannot  say ;  for  in  all  the  pages  of  our  read- 
ing, wre  learn,  by  no  creditable  history,  of  any  virtuous 
sympathies  in  a  hog. 


286 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


FABM  BARNS. 


The  farm  barn,  next  to  the  farm  house,  is  the  most 
important  structure  of  the  farm  itself,  in  the  Northern 
and  Middle  States ;  and  even  at  the  south  and  south- 
west, where  less  used,  they  are  of  more  importance 
in  the  economy  of  farm  management  than  is  generally 
supposed.  Indeed,  to  our  own  eyes,  a  farm,  or  a 
plantation  appears  incomplete,  without  a  good  barn 
accommodation,  as  much  as  without  good  household 
appointments  —  and  without  them,  no  agricultural  es- 
tablishment can  be  complete  in  all  its  proper  economy. 

The  most  thorough  barn  structures,  perhaps,  to  be 
seen  in  the  United  States,  are  those  of  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania,  built  by  the  German  farmers  of  the 
lower  and  central  counties.  They  are  large,  and  ex- 
pensive in  their  construction  ; .  and,  in  a  strictly  econ- 
omical view,  perhaps  more  costly  than  required.  Yet, 
there  is  a  substance  and  durability  in  them,  that  is 
exceedingly  satisfactory,  and,  where  the  pecuniary 
ability  of  the  farmer  will  permit,  may  well  be  an 
example  for  imitation. 

In  the  structure  of  the  barn,  and  in  its  interior  ac- 
commodation, much  will  depend  upon  the  branches  of 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


agriculture  to  which  the  farm  is  devoted.  A  farm  cul- 
tivated in  grain  chiefly,  requires  but  little  room  for 
stabling  purposes.  Storage  for  grain  in  the  sheaf,  and 
granaries,  will  require  its  room ;  while  a  stock  farm 
requires  a  barn  with  extensive  hay  storage,  and  stables 
for  its  cattle,  horses,  and  sheep,  in  all  climates  not 
admitting  such  stock  to  live  through  the  winter  in  the 
field,  like  the  great  grazing  states  west  of  the  Allegha- 
nies.  Again,  there  are  wide  districts  of  country  where 
a  mixed  husbandry  of  grain  and  stock  is  pursued, 
which  require  barns  and  out-buildings  accommodating 
both ;  and  to  supply  the  exigencies  of  each,  we  shall 
present  such  plans  as  may  be  appropriate,  and  that 
may,  possibly,  by  a  slight  variation,  be  equally  adapted 
to  either,  or  all  of  their  requirements. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  here,  to  remark,  that 
many  designers  of  barns,  sheds,  and  other  out-build- 
ings for  the  accommodation  of  farm  stock,  have  in- 
dulged in  fanciful  arrangements  for  the  convenience 
and  comfort  of  animals,  which  are  so  complicated  that 
when  constructed,  as  they  sometimes  are,  the  practical, 
common-sense  former  will  not  use  them  ;  and,  in  the 
learning  required  in  their  use,  are  altogether  unfit  for 
the  use  and  treatment  they  usually  get  from  those  who 
have  the  daily  care  of  the  stock  which  they  are  in- 
tended for,  and  for  the  rough  usage  they  receive  from 
the  animals  themselves.  A  very  pretty,  and  a  very 
plausible  arrangement  of  stabling,  and  feeding,  and  all 
the  etceteras  of  a  barn  establishment,  may  be  thus 
got  up  by  an  ingenious  theorist  at  the  fireside,  which 
will  work  to  a  charm,  as  he  dilates  upon  its  good 


288 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


qualities,  untried ;  but,  when  subjected  to  experiment 
will  be  utterly  worthless  for  practical  use.  All  this 
we,  in  our  practice,  have  gone  through ;  and  after 
many  years  experience,  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  simplest  plan  of  construction,  consistent  with 
an  economical  expenditure  of  the  material  of  food  for 
the  consumption  of  stock,  is  by  far  the  most  preferable. 

Another  item  to  be  considered  in  this  connection,  is 
the  comparative  value  of  the  stock,  the  forage  fed  to 
them,  and  the  labor  expended  in  feeding  and  taking 
care  of  them.  We  will  illustrate :  Suppose  a  farm 
to  lie  in  the  vicinity  of  a  large  town,  or  city.  Its 
value  is,  perhaps,  a  hundred  dollars  an  acre.  The  hay 
cut  upon  it  is  worth  fifteen  dollars  a  ton,  at  the  barn, 
and  straw,  and  coarse  grains  in  proportion,  and  hired 
labor  ten  or  twelve  dollars  a  month.  Consequently, 
the  manager  of  this  farm  should  use  all  the  economy 
in  his  power,  by  the  aid  of  cutting-boxes,  and  other 
machinery,  to  make  the  least  amount  of  forage  supply 
the  wants  of  his  stock;  and  the  internal  economy  of 
his  barn  arranged  accordingly;  because  labor  is  his 
cheapest  item,  and  food  the  dearest.  Then,  for  any 
contrivance  to  work  up  his  forage  the  closest —  by  way 
of  machinery,  or  manual  labor —  by  which  it  will  serve 
the  purposes  of  keeping  his  stock,  is  true  economy; 
and  the  making,  and  saving  of  manures  is  an  item  of 
the  first  importance.  .  His  buildings,  and  their  arrange- 
ments throughout,  should,  on  these  accounts,  be  con- 
structed in  accordance  with  his  practice.  If,  on  the 
other  hand,  lands  are  cheap  and  productive,  and  labor 
comparatively  dear,  a  different  practice  will  prevail. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


289 


He  will  feed  his  hay  from  the  mow,  without  cutting. 
The  straw  will  be  either  stacked  out,  and  the  cattle 
turned  to  it,  to  pick  what  they  like  of  it,  and  make 
their  beds  on  the  remainder  ;  or,  if  it  is  housed,  he  will 
throw  it  into  racks,  and  the  stock  may  eat  what  they 
choose.  It  Is  but  one-third,  or  one-half  the  labor  to 
do  this,  that  the  other  mode  requires,  and  the  saving 
in  this  makes  up,  and  perhaps  more  than  makes  up  for 
the  increased  quantity  of  forage  consumed.  Again, 
climate  may  equally  affect  the  mode  of  winter  feeding 
the  stock.  The  winters  may  be  mild.  The  hay  may 
be  stacked  in  the  fields,  when  gathered,  or  put  into 
email  barns  built  for  hay  storage  alone ;  and  the  ma- 
nure, scattered  over  the  fields  by  the  cattle,  as  they  are 
fed  from  either  of  them,  may  be  knocked  to  pieces 
with  the  dung-beetle,  in  the  spring,  or  harrowed  and 
bushed  over  the  ground;  and  with  the  very  small 
quantity  of  labor  required  in  all  this,  such  practice 
will  be  more  economical  than  any  other  which  can  be 
adopted.  It  is,  therefore,  a  subject  of  deliberate  study 
with  the  farmer,  in  the  construction  of  his  out-build- 
ings, what  plans  he  shall  adopt  in  regard  to  them,  and 
their  fitting  up  and  arrangement. 

"With  these  considerations  before  us,  we  shall  submit 
such  plans  of  bam  structures  as  may  be  adapted  for  gen- 
eral use,  where  shelters  for  the  farm  crops,  and  farm 
stock,  are  required ;  and  which  may,  in  their  interior 
arrangement,  be  fitted  for  almost  any  locality  of  our 
country,  as  the  judgment  and  the  wants  of  the  builder 
may  require. 


290 


RTJR&L  ARCHITECTURE, 


Design  L 


This  is  a  design  of  barn  partially  on  the  .Pennsyl 
vania  plan,  with  under-ground  stables,  and  a  stone- 
walled basement  on  three  sides,  with  a  line  of  posts 
standing  open  on  the  yard  front,  and  a  wall,  pierced 
by  doors  and  windows,  retreating  12  feet  under  the 
building,  giving,  in  front,  a  shelter  for  stock.  Two 
sheds,  by  way  of  wings,  are  run  out  to  any  desired 
length,  on  each  side.  The  body  of  this  barn,  which  is 
built  of  wood,  above  the  basement,  is  60x46  feet;  the 
posts  18  feet  high,  above  the  sills  ;  the  roof  is  elevated 
at  an  angle  of  40°  from  a  horizontal  line,  and  the 
gables  hooded,  or  truncated,  14  feet  wide  at  the  verge, 
so  as  to  cover  the  large  doors  at  the  ends.  The  main 
roof  spreads  3  to  4  feet  over  the  body  of  the  barn,  and 
runs  from  the  side  eaves  in  a  straight  line,  different 
from  what  is  showm  in  the  engraving,  which  appears  of 
a  gambrel  or  hipped  fashion.  The  sides  are  covered 
with  boards  laid  vertically,  and  battened  with  narrow 
strips,  3  inches  wide.  The  large  doors  in  the  ends  are 
14  feet  wide,  and  14  feet  high.  A  slatted  blind  win- 
dow is  in  each  gable,  for  ventilation,  and  a  door,  9x6 
feet,  on  the  yard  side. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


298 


INTERIOR  ARRANGEMENT. 

A  main  floor,  A,  12  feet  wide,  runs  the  whole  length 
tl  rough  the  center  of  the  barn.  S,  £,  are  the  large 
doors.  II,  jET,  are  trap  doors,  to  let  hay  or  straw  down 
to  the  alleys  of  the  stables  beneath.  is  the  princi- 
pal bay  for  hay  storage,  16  feet  wide,  and  runs  up  to 
the  roof.    (7,  is  the  bay,  26x16  feet,  for  the  grain  mow, 


B 

C  []#/ 

A 

D" 

c 

C 

F 

0 

£ 

MAIN  FLOOR  PLAN. 


if  required  for  that  purpose.  Z>,  is  a  granary,  13x16 
feet,  and  8  feet  high.  jE7,  a  storage  room  for  fanning 
mill,  cutting-box,  or  other  machinery,  or  implements, 
of  same  size  and  height  as  the  granary.  F,  is  a  pas- 
sage, 8  feet  wide,  leading  from  the  main  floor  to  the 
yard  door,  through  which  to  throw  out  litter.  Over 
this  passage,  and  the  granary,  and  store-room,  may  be 
stored  grain  in  the  sheaf,  or  hay.  The  main  floor  will 
accommodate  the  thrashing-machine,  horse-power,  cut- 
ting box,  &c,  &c,  when  at  work.  A  line  of  movable 
sleepers,  or  poles,  may  be  laid  across  the  floor,  10  feet 
above  it,  on  a  line  of  girts  framed  into  the  main  posts, 
for  that  purpose,  over  which,  when  the  sides  of  the 


294: 


JvUKAL  A RC 1IITE C T URE. 


barn  are  full,  either  hay  or  grain  may  be  deposited,  up 
to  the  ridge  of  the  roof,  and  thus  afford  l.a'ge  storage. 
And  if  the  demands  of  the  crops  require  it,  after  the 
sides  and  over  the  floor  is  thus  filled,  the  floor  itself 
may,  a  part  of  it,  be  used  for  packing  away  either  hay 
or  grain,  by  taking  off  the  team  after  the  load  is  in, 
and  passing  them  out  by  a  retreating  process,  on  the 
side  of  the  cart  or  wagon ;  and  the  vehicle,  when  un- 
loaded, backed  out  by  hand.  We  have  occasionally 
adopted  this  method,  when  crowded  for  room  for  in- 
creased crops,  to  great  advantage.  It  requires  some- 
what more  labor,  to  be  sure,  but  it  is  much  better  than 
stacking  out ;  and  a  well-filled  barn  is  a  good  sight  to 
look  upon. 

Underneath  the  body  of  the  barn  are  the  stables, 
root  cellar,  calf  houses,  or  any  other  accommodation 
which  the  farm  stock  may  require ;  but,  for  the  most 
economical  objects,  is  here  cut  up  into  stables.  At  the 
ends,  l\  are  passages  for  the  stock  to  go  into  their 
stalls  ;  and  also,  on  the  sides,  for  the  men  who  attend 
to  them.  The  main  passage  through  the  center  double 
line  of  stalls  is  8  feet  wide ;  and  on  each  side  are 
double  stalls,  65  feet  wide.  From  the  two  end  walls, 
the  cattle  passages  are  5  feet  wide,  the  partition  be- 
tween the  stalls  running  back  in  a  slant,  from  5  feet 
high  at  the  mangers  to  the  floor,  at  that  distance  from 
the  walls.  The  mangers,  7',^,  are  2  feet  wide,  or  may 
be  2 h  feet,  by  taking  an  additional  six  inches  out  of 
the  rear  passage.  The  passage  is,  between  the  man- 
gers, 3  feet  wide,  to  receive  the  hay  from  the  trap 
doors  in  the  floor  above. 


BUBAL  A  KC 1 1 ITECTUEE. 


295 


UNDKR-GROUND  PLAN  AND  YARD. 


The  most  economical  plan,  for  room  in  tying  cattle 
in  their  stalls,  is  to  fasten  the  rope,  or  chain,  whichever 
is  used,  (the  wooden  stanchion,  or  stancliel,  as  it  is 
called,  to  open  and  shut,  enclosing  the  animal  by  the 
neck,  we  do  not  like,)  into  a  ring,  which  is  secured 
by  a  strong  staple  into  the  post  which  sustains  the  par- 
tition, just  at  the  top  of  the  manger,  on  each  side  of 
the  stall.  This  prevents  the  cattle  in  the  same  stall 
from  interfering  with  each  other,  while  the  partition 
effectually  prevents  any  contact  from  the  animals  on 
each  side  of  it,  in  the  separate  stalls.  The  bottom  of 
the  mangers,  for  grown  cattle,  should  be  a  foot  abovu 


296 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


the  floor,  and  the  top  two  and  a  half  feet,  which  makes 
it  deep  enough  to  hold  their  food ;  and  the  whole,  both 
sides  and  bottom,  should  be  made  of  two-inch,  sound, 
strong  plank,  that  they  may  not  be  broken  down.  The 
back  sides  of  the  stalls,  next  the  feeding  alleys,  should 
be  full  3 J  feet  high;  and  if  the  cattle  are  large,  and 
disposed  to  climb  into  their  mangers  with  their  fore- 
feet, as  they  sometimes  do,  a  pole,  of  24  or  3  inches  in 
diameter,  should  be  secured  across  the  front  of  the 
stall,  next  the  cattle,  and  over  the  mangers  —  say  4 h 
feet  above  the  floor,  to  keep  them  out  of  the  manger, 
and  still  give  them  sufficient  room  for  putting  their 
heads  between  that  and  the  top  of  the  manger,  to  get 
their  food.  Cattle  thus  secured  in  double  stalls,  take 
up  less  room,  and  lie  much  warmer,  than  when  in  sin- 
gle stalls ;  besides,  the  expense  of  fitting  them  up  being 
much  less  —  an  experience  of  many  years  has  con- 
vinced us  on  this  point.  The  doors  for  the  passage  of 
the  cattle  in  and  out  of  the  stables,  should  be  five 
feet  wide,  that  they  may  have  plenty  of  room. 

In  front  of  these  stables,  on  the  outside,  is  a  line  of 
posts,  the  feet  of  which  rest  on  large  flat  stones,  and 
support  the  outer  sill  of  the  barn,  and  form  a  recess, 
before  named,  of  12  feet  in  width,  under  which  may 
be  placed  a  line  of  racks,  or  mangers  for  outside  cattle, 
to  consume  the  orts,  or  leavings  of  hay  rejected  by  the 
in-door  stock ;  or,  the  manure  may  be  housed  under  it, 
which  is  removed  from  the  stables  by  wheel-barrows. 
The  low  line  of  sheds  which  extend  from  the  barn  on 
each  side  of  the  yard,  may  be  used  for  the  carts,  and 
wagons  of  the  place ;  or,  racks  and  mangers  may  be 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


297 


fitted  up  in  them,  for  outside  cattle  to  consume  the 
straw  and  coarse  forage;  or,  they  may  be  carried 
higher  than  in  our  plan,  and  floored  overhead,  and 
hay,  or  other  food  stored  in  them  for  the  stock.  They 
are  so  placed  merely  to  give  the  idea. 

There  may  be  no  more  fitting  occasion  than  this, 
perhaps,  to  make  a  remark  or  two  on  the  subject  of 
managing  stock  in  stables  of  any  kind,  when  kept  in 
any  considerable  numbers ;  and  a  word  may  not  be 
impertinent  to  the  subject  in  hand,  as  connected  with 
the  construction  of  stables. 

There  is  no  greater  benefit  to  cattle,  after  coming 
into  winter  quarters,  than  a  straight-forward  regularity 
in  everything  appertaining  to  them.  Every  animal 
should  have  its  own  particular  stall  in  the  stable, 
where  it  should  always  be  Tcept^  and  in  no  other.  The 
cattle  should  be  fed  and  watered  at  certain  hours  of 
the  day,  as  near  as  may  be.  When  let  out  of  the, 
stables  for  water,  unless  the  weather  is  very  pleasant, 
when  they  may  be  permitted  to  lie  out  an  hour  or  two, 
they  should  be  immediately  put  back,  and  not  allowed 
to  range  about  with  the  outside  cattle.  They  are  more 
quiet  and  contented  in  their  stables  than  elsewhere, 
and  eat  less  food,  than  if  permitted  to  run  out ;  and 
are  every  way  more  comfortable,  if  properly  bedded 
and  attended  to,  as  every  one  will  find,  on  trying  it. 
The  habit  of  many  people,  in  turning  their  cattle  out 
of  the  stables  in  the  morning,  in  all  weathers — letting 
them  range  about  in  a  cold  yard,  hooking  and  thorning 
each  other  —  is  of  no  possible  benefit,  unless  to  rid  them- 
selves of  the  trouble  of  cleaning  the  stables,  which 


29S 


RURAL  ARC  I  FIT  EOT  (TEE. 


pays  twice  its  cost  in  the  saving  of  manure.  The  out- 
side cattle,  which  occupy  the  yard,  are  all  the  better, 
that  the  stabled  ones  do  not  interfere  with  them.  Thev 
become  habituated  to  their  own  quarters,  as  the  others 
do  to  their  s,  and  all  are  better  for  being  each  in  their 
own  proper  place.  It  may  appear  a  small  matter  to 
notice  this  ;  but  it  is  a  subject  of  importance,  which 
every  one  may  know  who  tries  it. 

It  will  be  seen  that  a  driving  way  is  built  up  to  the 
barn  doors  at  the  ends;  this  need  not  be  expensive, 
and  will  add  greatly  to  the  ease  and  convenience  of 
its  approach.  It  is  needless  to  remark,  that  this  barn 
is  designed  to  stand  on  a  shelving  piece  of  ground,  or 
on  a  slope,  which  will  admit  of  its  cellar  stables  with- 
out much  excavation  of  the  earth  ;  and  in  such  a  posi- 
tion it  may  be  economically  built.  ±so  estimate  is 
given  of  its  cost,  which  must  depend  upon  the  price 
of  materials,  and  the  convenience  of  stone  on  the 
farm.  The  size  is  not  arbitrary,  but  may  be  either 
contracted  or  extended,  according  to  the  requirements 
of  the  builder. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


301 


Design  II. 

Here  is  presented  the  design  of  a  barn  built  by  our- 
self,  about  sixteen  years  since,  and  standing  or.  the 
farm  we  own  and  occupy ;  and  which  lias  proved  so 
satisfactory  in  its  use,  that,  save  in  one  or  two  small 
particulars,  which  are  here  amended,  we  would  not, 
for  a  stock  barn,  alter  it  in  any  degree,  nor  exchange 
it  for  one  of  any  description  whatever. 

For  the  farmer  who  needs  one  of  but  half  the  size, 
or  greater,  or  less,  it  may  be  remarked  that  the  extent 
of  this  need  be  no  hindrance  to  the  building  of  one 
of  any  size  —  as  the  general  design  may  be  adopted, 
and  carried  out,  either  in  whole  or  in  part,  according 
to  his  wants,  and  the  economy  of  its  accommodation 
preserved  throughout.  The  principle  of  the  structure 
is  what  is  intended  to  be  shown. 

The  main  body  of  this  barn  stands  on  the  ground, 
100x50  feet,  with  eighteen-feet  posts,  and  a  broad, 
sheltering  roof,  of  40°  pitch  from  a  horizontal  line,  and 
truncated  at  the  gables  to  the  width  of  the  main  doors 
below.  The  sills  stand  4  feet  above  the  ground,  and  a 
raised  driving  way  to  the  doors  admits  the  loads  of 
grain  and  forage  into  it.  The  manner  of  building  the 
whole  structure  would  be,  to  frame  and  put  up  the 


302 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


main  building  as  if  it  was  to  have  no  attachment  what- 
ever, and  put  on  the  roof,  and  board  up  the  gable  ends. 
Then  frame,  and  raise  adjoining  it,  on  the  long  sides, 
and  on  the  rear  end  —  for  the  opposite  gable  end  to 
that,  is  the  entrance  front  to  the  barn  —  a  continuous 
lean-to,  16  feet  wide,  attaching  it  to  the  posts  of  the 
barn,  strongly,  by  girts.  These  ranges  of  lean-to  stand 
on  the  ground  level,  nearly  —  high  enough,  however, 
to  let  a  terrier  dog  under  the  floors,  to  keep  out  the 
rats  —  but  quite  3  feet  below  the  sills  of  the  barn.  The 
outer  posts  of  the  lean-to's  should  be  12  feet  high,  and. 
12  h  feet  apart,  from  center  to  center,  except  at  the  ex- 
treme corners,  which  would  be  16  feet.  One  foot  below 
the  roof-plates  of  the  main  building,  and  across  the 
rear  gable  end,  a  line  of  girts  should  be  framed  into 
the  posts,  as  a  rest  for  the  upper  ends  of  the  lean-to 
rafters,  that  they  may  pass  under,  and  a  foot  below 
the  lower  ends  of  the  main  roof  rafters,  to  make  a 
break  in  the  roof  of  one  foot,  and  allow  a  line  of  eavo 
gutters  under  it,  if  needed,  and  to  show  the  lean-to 
line  of  roof  as  distinct  from  the  other.  The  stables 
are  7  feet  high,  from  the  lower  floor  to  the  girts  over- 
head, which  connect  them  with  the  main  line  of  barn 
posts ;  thus  giving  a  loft  of  4  feet  in  height  at  the 
eaves,  and  of  12  feet  at  the  junction  with  the  barn. 
In  this  loft  is  large  storage  for  hay,  and  coarse  forage, 
and  bedding  for  the  cattle,  which  is  put  in  by  side 
windows,  level  with  the  loft  floor — as  seen  in  the 
plate.  In  the  center  of  the  rear,  end  lean-to,  is  a  large 
door,  corresponding  with  the  front  entrance  to  the  barn, 
as  shown  in  the  design,  12  feet  high,  and  14  feet  wide. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


303 


to  pass  out  the  wagons  and  carts  which  have  discharged 
their  loads  in  the  barn,  having  entered  at  the  main 
front  door.  A  line  of  board,  one  foot  wide,  between  the 
line  of  the  main  and  lean-to  roofs,  is  then  nailed  on,  to 
shut  up  the  space ;  and  the  rear  gable  end  boarded 
down  to  the  roof  of  the  lean-to  attached  to  it.  The 
front  end,  and  the  stables  on  them  vertically  boarded, 
and  battened,  as  directed  in  the  last  design  ;  the  proper 
doors  and  windows  inserted,  and  the  outside  is  finished. 

INTERIOR  ARRANGEMENT. 

Entering  the  large  door,  (a.)  at  the  front  end,  14  feet 
wide,  and  14  feet  high,  the  main  floor  (</,)  passes 
through  the  entire  length  of  the  barn,  and  rear  lean-to, 
11G  feet  —  the  last  1G  feet  through  the  lean-to  —  and 
sloping  3  feet  to  the  outer  sill,  and  door,  (<?,)  of  that 
appendage.  On  the  left  of  the  entrance  is  a  recess,  (e?,) 
of  20x18  feet,  to  be  used  as  a  thrashing  floor,  and  for 
machinery,  cutting  feed,  <fcc,  &c. —  5  feet  next  the  end 
being  cut  off  for  a  passage  to  the  stable.  Beyond  this 
is  a  bay,  (5,)  lSxTO  feet,  for  the  storage  of  hay,  or 
grain,  leaving  a  passage  at  the  further  end,  of  5  feet 
wide,  to  go  into  the  further  stables.  This  bay  is 
bounded  on  the  extreme  left,  by  the  line  of  outside 
posts  of  the  barn.  On  the  right  of  the  main  door  is  a 
granary,  (d,)  10x18  feet,  two  stories  high,  and  a  flight 
of  steps  leading  from  the  lower  into  the  upper  room. 
Beyond  this  is  another  bay,  (J,)  corresponding  with 
the  one  just  described  on  the  opposite  side.  The  pas- 
sages at  the  ends  of  the  bays,  (r   0,)  have  steps  of  3 


304 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


feet  descent,  to  bring  them  down  on  to  a  level  with 
the  stable  floors  of  the  lean-to.  A  passage  in  each  of 
the  two  long  side  lean-to's,  (0,  £,)  3  feet  wide,  receives 
the  hay  forage  for  cattle,  or  other  stock,  thrown  into 


FLOOR  PLAN. 


them  from  the  bays,  and  the  lofts  over  the  stables; 
and  from  them  is  thrown  into  the  mangers,  (A,  A.)  The 
two  apartments  in  the  extreme  end  lean-to,  (/<>/,) 
34x16  feet  each,  may  be  occupied  as  a  hospital  for 
invalid  cattle,  or  partitioned  off  for  calves,  or  any  othei 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


305 


purpose.  A  calving  house  for  the  cows  which  come  in 
during  the  winter,  is  always  convenient,  and  one  of 
these  may  be  used  for  such  purpose.  The  stalls,  (7,  i,) 
are  the  same  as  described  in  Design  I,  and  back  of 
them  is  the  passage  for  the  cattle,  as  they  pass  in  and 
out  of  their  stalls.    The  stable  doors,  are  six  in 

number.  Small  windows,  for  ventilation,  should  be 
cut  in  the  rear  of  the  stalls,  as  marked,  and  for  throw- 
ing out  the  manure,  with  sliding  board  shutters.  This 
completes  the  barn  accommodation  —  giving  twenty- 
eight  double  stalls,  where  fifty-six  grown  cattle  may 
be  tied  up,  with  rooms  for  twenty  to  thirty  calves  in 
the  end  stables.  If  a  larger  stock  is  kept,  young  cattle 
may  be  tied  up,  with  their  heads  to  the  bays,  on  the 
main  floor,  beyond  the  thrashing  floor,  which  we  prac- 
tice. This  wall  hold  forty  young  cattle.  The  manure 
is  taken  out  on  a  wheel-barrow,  and  no  injury  done  to 
the  floor.  They  will  soon  eat  out  a  place  where  their 
forage  can  be  put,  and  do  no  injury  beyond  that  to  the 
hay  in  the  bays,  as  it  is  too  closely  packed  for  them 
to  draw  it  out  any  farther.  In  this  way  wTe  can 
accommodate  more  than  a  hundred  head  of  cattle,  of 
assorted  ages. 

The  hay  in  the  bays  may  drop  three  feet  below  the 
level  of  the  main  floor,  by  placing  a  tier  of  rough  tim- 
bers and  poles  across  them,  to  keep  it  from  the  ground, 
and  many  tons  of  additional  storage  be  thus  provided. 
We  have  often  stored  one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  of  hay 
in  this  barn ;  and  it  will  hold  even  more,  if  thoroughly 
packed,  and  the  movable  girts  over  the  main  floor  be 
used,  as  described  in  Design  I. 


306 


it  URAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


The  cliief  advantages  in  a  barn  of  this  plan  are,  the 
exceeding  convenience  of  getting  the  forage  to  the 
stock.  When  the  barn  is  full,  and  feeding  is  first  com- 
menced, with  a  hay  knife,  we  commence  on  each  side 
next  the  stables,  on  the  top  of  the  bays,  cut  a  well 
down  to  the  alley  way  in  front  of  the  mangers,  which 
is  left  open  up  to  the  stable  roof.  This  opens  a  pas- 
sage for  the  hay  to  be  thrown  into  the  alleys,  and  in  a 
short  time  it  is  so  fed  out  on  each  side,  that,  the  sides 
of  the  main  barn  being  open  to  them,  the  hay  can  be 
thrown  along  their  whole  distance,  and  fed  to  the  cattle 
as  wanted ;  and  so  at  the  rear  end  stables,  in  the  five- 
foot  alley  adjoining  them.  If  a  root  cellar  be  required, 
it  may  be  made  under  the  front  part  of  the  main  floor, 
and  a  trap-door  lead  to  it.  For  a  milk  dairy,  this  ar- 
rangement is  an  admirable  one  —  we  so  used  it  for  four 
years ;  or  for  stall-feeding,  it  is  equally  convenient. 
One  man  will  do  more  work,  so  far  as  feeding  is  con- 
cerned, in  this  barn,  than  two  can  do  in  one  of  almost 
any  other  arrangement ;  and  the  yards  outside  may  be 
divided  into  five  separate  inclosures,  with  but  little 
expense,  and  still  be  large  enough  for  the  cattle  that 
may  want  to  use  them.  It  matters  not  what  kind  of 
stock  may  be  kept  in  this  barn ;  it  is  convenient  for 
all  alike.  Even  sheep  may  be  accommodated  in  it 
with  convenience.  But  low,  open  sheds,  inclosed  by 
a  yard,  are  better  for  them  ;  with  storage  for  hay  over- 
head, and  racks  and  troughs  beneath. 

This  barn  is  built  of  wood.  It  may  be  well  con- 
structed, with  stone  underpinning,  without  mortar,  for 
$1,000  to  $1,500,  as  the  price  of  materials  may  govern. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


And  if  the  collection  of  the  water  from  the  roofs  be 
an  object,  cheap  gutters  to  carry  it  into  one  or  more 
cisterns  may  be  added,  at  an  expense  of  $200  to  $300. 

As  before  observed,  a  barn  may  be  built  on  this 
principle,  of  any  size,  and  the  stables,  or  lean-to's  may 
only  attach  to  one  side  or  end;  or  they  maybe  built 
as  mere  sheds,  with  no  storage  room  over  the  cattle. 
The  chief  objection  to  stabling  cattle  in  the  body  of  the 
barn  is,  the  continual  decay  of  the  most  important  tim- 
bers, such  as  sills,  sleepers,  &c,  etc  ,  by  the  leakage  of 
the  stale,  and  manure  of  the  cattle  on  to  them,  and  the 
loss  of  so  much  valuable  storage  as  they  would  occupy, 
for  hay  and  grain.  By  the  plan  described,  the  stables 
aave  po  attachment  to  the  sills,  and  other  durable  barn 
timbers  below;  and  if  the  stable  sills  and  sleepers 
decay,  they  are  easily  and  cheaply  replaced  with  others. 
Taking  it  altogether,  we  can  recommend  no  better, 
nor,  as  we  think,  so  good,  and  so  cheap  a  plan  for  a 
stock  barn,  as  this. 

We  deem  it  unnecessary  to  discuss  the  subject  of 
water  to  cattle  yards,  as  every  farm  has  its  own  partic- 
ular accommodations,  or  inconveniences  in  that  regard; 
and  the  subject  of  leading  water  by  pipes  into  different 
premises,  is  too  well  understood  to  require  remark. 
Where  these  can  not  be  had,  and  springs  or  streams  are 
not  at  hand,  wells  and  pumps  must  be  provided,  in  as 
much  convenience  as  the  circumstances  of  the  case  will 
admit.  Water  is  absolutely  necessary,  and  that  in 
quantity,  for  stock  uses ;  and  every  good  manager  will 

exercise  his  best  judgment  to  obtain  it. 
13 


808 


RURAJL  ARCHITECTUKBL 


BARN  ATTACHMENTS. 


It  may  be  expected,  perhaps,  that  in  treating  so 
fully  as  we  have  of  the  several  kinds  of  farm  building, 
a  full  cluster  of  out-buildings  should  be  drawn  and 
exhibited,  showing  their  relative  positions  and  accom- 
modation. This  can  not  be  dkkm,  however,  except  as  a 
matter  of  u  fancy; 55  and  if  attempted,  might  not  be 
suited  to  the  purposes  of  a  single  individual,  by  reason 
of  the  particular  location  where  they  would  be  situated, 
and  the  accommodation  which  the  buildings  might 
require.  Convenience  of  access  to  the  barns,  from  the 
fields  where  the  crops  are  grown,  a  like  convenience 
to  get  out  manures  upon  those  fields,  and  a  ready 
communication  with  the  dwelling  house,  are  a  part  of 
the  considerations  which  are  to  govern  their  position, 
or  locality.  Economy  in  labor,  in  the  various  avoca- 
tions at  the  barn,  and  its  necessary  attachments ;  and 
the  greatest  convenience  in  storage,  and  the  housing  of 
the  various  stock,  grains,  implements,  and  whatever 
else  may  demand  accommodation,  are  other  consider- 
ations to  be  taken  into  the  account,  all  to  have  a  bear- 
ing upon  them.  Compactness  is  always  an  object  in 
such  buildings,  when  not  obtained  at  a  sacrifice  of 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


309 


some  greater  advantage,  and  should  be  one  of  the 
items  considered  in  placing  them;  and  in  their  con- 
struction, next  to  the  arrangement  of  them  in  the  most 
convenient  possible  manner  for  their  various  objects,  a 
due  regard  to  their  architectural  appearance  should  be 
studied.  Such  appearance,  where  their  objects  are 
apparent,  can  easily  be  secured.  Utility  should  be 
their  chief  point  of  expression ;  and  no  style  of  archi- 
tecture, or  finish,  can  be  really  had*  where  this  expres- 
sion is  duly  consulted,  and  carried  out,  even  in  the 
humblest  way  of  cheapness,  or  rusticity. 

We  have  Heretofore  sufficiently  remarked  on  the 
foily  of  unnecessary  pretension  in  the  farm  buildings, 
of  any  kind ;  and  nothing  can  appear,  and  really  be 
more  out  of  place,  than  ambitious  structures  intended 
only  for  the  stock,  and  crops.  Extravagant  expendi- 
ture on  these,  any  more  than  an  extravagant  expendi- 
ture on  the  dwelling  and  its  attachments,  does  not  add 
to  the  selling  value  of  the  farm,  nor  to  its  economical 
management,  in  a  productive  capacity :  and  he  who  is 
about  to  build,  should  make  his  proposed  buildings  a 
study  for  months,  in  all  their  different  requirements 
and  conveniences,  before  he  commences  their  erection. 
Mistakes  in  their  design,  and  location,  have  cost  men  a 
whole  after  life  of  wear-and-tear  of  temper,  patience, 
and  labor,  to  themselves,  and  to  all  who  were  about 
them ;  and  it  is  better  to  wait  even  two  or  three  years, 
to  fully  mature  the  best  plans  of  building,  than  by 
hurrying,  to  mis  locate,  mis-arrange,  and  miss,  in  fact, 
the  very  best  application  in  their  structure  of  which 
such  buildings  are  capable. 


810 


RURAL  ARCHITECT  D  RE. 


A  word  might  also  be  added  about  barn-yards* 
The  planning  and  management  of  these,  also,  depends 
much  upon  the  course  the  farmer  has  to  pursue  in  the 
keeping  of  his  stock,  the  amount  of  waste  litter,  such 
as  straw,  &c,  which  he  has  to  dispose  of,  and  the  de- 
mands of  the  farm  for  animal  and  composted  manures. 
There  are  different  methods  of  constructing  barn-yards, 
in  different  parts  of  the  country,  according  to  climate 
and  soils,  and  the  farmer  must  best  consult  his  own 
experience,  the  most  successful  examples  about  him, 
and  the  publications  which  treat  of  that  subject,  in  its 
connection  with  farm  husbandry,  to  which  last  subject 
this  item  more  properly  belongs. 


BUBAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


311 


RABBITS. 


It  may  appear  that  we  are  extending  our  "Rurai 
Architecture"  to  an  undue  length,  in  noticing  a  sub- 
ject so  little  attended  to  in  this  country  as  Rabbit 
accommodations.  But,  as  with  other  small  matters 
which  we  have  noticed,  this  may  create  a  new  source 
of  interest  and  attachment  to  country  life,  we  conclude 
to  give  it  a  place. 

It  is  a  matter  of  surprise  to  an  American  first  vis- 
iting England,  to  see  the  quantities  of  game  which 
abound  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  in  the  London 
and  other  markets  of  that  country,  in  contrast  with  the 
scanty  supply,  or  rather  no  supply  at  all,  existing  in 
the  markets  of  American  cities.  The  reason  for  such 
difference  is,  that  in  England,  Scotland,  "Wales,  and 
Ireland,  every  acre  of  the  soil  is  appropriated  to  some 
profitable  use,  while  we,  from  the  abundance  of  land  in 
America,  select  only  the  best  for  agricultural  purposes, 
4<o,jid  let  the  remainder  go  barren  and  un cared  for. 
Lands  appropriated  to  the  rearing  of  game,  when  fit 
for  farm  pasturage  or  tillage,  is  unprofitable,  generally, 
with  us ;  but  there  are  thousands  of  acres  barren  for 
other  purposes,  that  might  be  devoted  to  the  breeding 


312 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


and  jDasturage  of  rabbits,  and  which,  by  thus  appro- 
priating thorn,  might  be  turned  to  profitable  account. 
All  the  preparation  required  is,  to  enclose  the  ground 
with  a  high  and  nearly  close  paling  fence,  and  the  erec- 
tion of  a  few  rude  hutches  inside,  for  winter  shelter  and 
the  storage  of  their  food.  They  will  burrow  into  the 
ground,  and  breed  with  great  rapidity;  and  in  the  fall 
and  winter  seasons,  they  will  be  fat  for  market  with 
the  food  they  gather  from  the  otherwise  worthless  soil 
over  which  they  run.  Rocky,  bushy,  and  evergreen 
grounds,  either  hill,  dale,  or  plain,  are  good  for  them, 
wherever  the  soils  are  dry  and  friable.  The  rabbit  is 
a  gross  feeder,  living  well  on  what  many  grazing  ani- 
mals reject,  and  gnawing  down  all  kinds  of  bushes, 
briars,  and  noxious  weeds. 

The  common  domestic  rabbits  are  probably  the  best 
for  market  purposes,  and  were  they  to  be  made  an 
object  of  attention,  immense  tracts  of  mountain  land 
in  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  New  York  and 
New  England  highlands  could  be  made  available  for 
this  object. 

Some  may  think  this  a  small  business.  So  is  mak- 
ing pins,  and  rearing  chickens,  and  bees.  But  there 
are  an  abundance  of  people,  whose  age  and  capacity 
are  just  fitted  for  it,  and  for  wrant  of  other  employment 
are  a  charge  upon  their  friends  or  the  public;  and 
now,  when  our  cities  and  large  towns  are  so  leadily 
reached  by  railroads  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  our 
farmers  should  study  to  apply  their  land  to  the  pro- 
duction of  everything  that  will  find  a  profitable  mar- 
ket.   Things  unthought  of,  a  few  years  ago,  now  find 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


313 


a  large  consumption  in  our  large  cities  and  towns, 
by  the  aid  of  railroads ;  and  we  know  of  no  good  rea- 
son, why  this  production  and  traffic  should  not  con- 
tinue to  an  indefinite  extent.  When  the  breeding  of 
rabbits  is  commenced,  get  a  good  treatise  on  the  breed- 
ing and  rearing  of  them,  which  may  be  found  at  many 
of  the  bookstores. 

As  the  rearing  of  rabbits,  and  their  necessary  ac- 
commodation, is  not  a  subject  to  which  we  have  given 
muclt  personal  attention,  we  applied  to  Francis  Rotch, 
Esq.,  of  Morris,  Otsego  county,  New  York,  who  is 
probably  the  most  accomplished  rabbit  "  fancier "  in 
the  Uaited  States,  for  information,  with  which  he  has 
kindly  furnished  us.  His  beautiful  and  high-bred  ani- 
mals have  won  the  highest  premiums,  at  the  shows  of 
the  New  York  State  Agricultural  Society.  He  thus 
answers : 

"  I  now  forward  you  the  promised  plan  from  Mr. 
Alfred  Rodman,  of  Dedham,  Massachusetts,  which, 
I  think,  will  give  you  the  information  you  wish  upon 
these  subjects. 

"  Rabbits  kept  for  profit  in  the  vicinity  of  a  city,  and 
where  there  are  mills,  may  be  raised  at  a  very  small 
cost ;  and  when  once  known  as  an  article  of  food,  will 
be  liberally  paid  for  by  the  epicure,  for  their  meat  is 
as  delicate  as  a  chicken's,  and  their  fat  mild,  and 
very  rich. 

"  I  am  surprised  they  are  not  more  generally  kept, 
as  a  source  of  amusement,  and  for  the  purposes  of 
experiment. 


314 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


"  There  is,  I  think,  in  many,  a  natural  fondness  for 
animals,  but  not  easily  indulged  without  more  room 
than  is  often  to  be  found  in  city  residences.  Fowls, 
and  pigeons,  trespass  on  our  neighbors,  and  are  a  fre- 
pient  cause  of  trouble.  This  objection  does  not  hold 
good  against  the  rabbit,  which  occupies  so  small  a 
space,  that  where  there  is  an  outhouse  there  may  be  a 
rabbitry.  English  children  are  encouraged  in  their 
fondness  for  animals,  as  tending  to  good  morals  and 
good  feelings,  and  as  offering  a  home  amusement,  in 
contradistinction  to  street  associations  " 

Mr.  Kotch  continues : 

"I  have  just  finished  the  enclosed  drawing  of  a 
4  fancy  rabbit,'  which  I  hope  will  answer  your  pur- 
pose, as  an  illustration  of  what  the  little  animal  should 
be  in  form,  color,  marking,  and  carriage,  according  to 
the  decisions  of  the  various  societies  in  and  out  of 
London,  who  are  its  greatest  admirers  and  patrons. 
These  amateurs  hold  frequent  meetings  for  its  exhibi- 
tion, at  which  premiums  are  awarded,  and  large  prizes 
paid  for  such  specimens  as  come  up  to  their  standard 
of  excellence.  This  standard  is,  of  course,  conven- 
tional ;  and,  as  might  be  expected,  is  a  combination 
of  form  and  color  very  difficult  to  obtain  —  based,  it 
is  true,  on  the  most  correct  principles  of  general  breed- 
ing ;  but  much  of  fancy  and  beauty  is  added  to  com- 
plete the  requisites  of  a  prize  rabbit.  For  instance, 
the  head  must  be  small  and  clean ;  the  shoulders 
wide  and  full ;  the  chest  broad  and  deep ;  the  back 
wide,  ard  the  loin  large.    Thus  far,  these  are  the 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


317 


characteristics  of  all  really  good  and  improved  animals ; 
to  which  are  to  be  added,  on  the  score  of  'fancy,5  an 
eye  round,  full,  and  bright;  an  ear  long,  broad,  and 
pendant,  of  a  soft,  delicate  texture,  dropping  nearly  per- 
pendicularly by  the  side  of  the  head  —  this  is  termed 
its  6  carriage.'  The  color  must  be  in  rich,  unmixed 
masses  on  the  body,  spreading  itself  over  the  back, 
side,  and  haunch,  but  breaking  into  spots  and  patches 
on  the  shoulder,  called  the  fi  chain ; '  while  that  on 
the  back  is  known  as  the  'saddle.5  The  head  must 
be  full  of  color,  broken  with  white  on  the  forehead  and 
cheeks ;  the  marking  over  the  bridge  of  the  nose  and 
down  on  both  sides  into  the  lips,  should  be  dark,  and 
in  shape  somewhat  resembling  a  butterfly,  from  which 
this  mark  takes  its  name ;  the  ear,  however,  must  be 
uniform  in  color.  Add  to  all  this,  a  large,  full  dewlap, 
and  you  will  have  a  rabbit  fit  to  4  go  in  and  win? 

"The  most  esteemed  colors  are  black  and  white; 
yellow  and  white ;  tortoise-shell  and  white  ;  blue  and 
white,  and  gray  and  white.    These  are  called  c  broken 
colors,'  while  those  of  one  uniform  color  are  called 
selfs.' " 

It  will  be  observed  that  Mr.  Kotch  here  describes 
a  beautiful  "fancy"  variety  of  " lop-eared"  rabbits, 
which  he  brought  from  England  a  few  years  since. 
They  were,  originally,  natives  of  Madagascar.  He 
continues : 

"  The  domestic  rabbit,  in  all  its  varieties,  has  always 
been,  and  still  is,  a  great  favorite,  in  many  parts  of 
the  European  continent : 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


"  In  Holland,  it  is  bred  with  reference  to  color  only, 
which  must  be  a  pure  white,  with  dark  ears,  feet,  legs, 
and  tail;  this  distribution  has  a  singular  effect,  but, 
withal,  it  is  a  pretty  little  creature.  The  French  breed 
a  long,  rangy  animal,  of  great  wppare7it  size,  but  defi- 
cient in  depth  and  breadth,  and  of  course,  wanting 
in  constitution ;  no  attention  is  paid  to  color,  and  its 
marking  is  matter  of  accident.  The  White  Angola, 
with  its  beautiful  long  fur  and  red  eyes,  is  also  a  great 
favorite  in  France. 

"  In  England,  the  rabbit  formerly  held  the  rank  of 
'farm  stock! '  and  thousands  of  acres  were  exclusively 
devoted  to  its  production ;  families  were  supported, 
and  rents,  rates,  and  taxes  were  paid  from  its  increase 
^nd  sale.  The  'gray-skins'*  went  to  the  hatter,  the 
c  silver-skins '  were  shipped  to  China,  and  were  dressed 
as  furs ;  while  the  flesh  was  a  favorite  dish  at  home. 
This  was  the  course  pursued  in  Yorkshire,  Lincoln- 
shire, and  many  other  counties,  with  their  light  sandy 
soils,  before  the  more  general  introduction  of  root  cul- 
ture, and  the  rotation  of  crops.,  gave  an  increased  value 
to  such  land.  Since  then,  however,  I  remember  visit- 
ing a  farm  of  Lord  Onslow's,  in  Surrey,  containing 
about  1,400  acres.  It  was  in  the  occupation  of  an 
eminent  flock-master  and  agriculturist,  who  kept  some 
hundreds  of  hutched  rabbits  for  the  sake  of  their  ma- 
nure, which  he  applied  to  his  turnep  crop;  added  to 
this,  their  skins  and  carcasses  were  quite  an  item  of 
profit,  notwithstanding  the  care  of  them  required  an 
old  man  and  boy,  with  a  donkey  and  cart.  The  food 
used  was  chiefly  brewer's  grains,  miller's  waste,  bra- 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


319 


and  hay,  with  clover  and  roots,  the  cost  of  keeping  not 
exceeding  two  pence  a  week.  The  hutches  stood  under 
a  long  shed,  open  on  all  sides,  for  the  greater  conven- 
ience of  cleaning  and  feeding.  I  was  told  that  the 
manure  was  much  valued  by  the  market  gardeners 
round  London,  who  readily  paid  2s.  6d.  a  bushel  at  the 
rabbitries.  These  rabbitries  are  very  numerous  in  all 
the  towns  and  cities  of  England,  and  form  a  source  of 
amusement  or  profit  to  all  classes,  from  the  man  of 
fortune  to  the  day  laborer.  Nor  is  it  unfrequent  that 
this  latter  produces  a  rabbit  from  an  old  tea-chest,  or 
dry-goods  box,  that  wins  the  prize  from  its  competitor 
of  the  mahogany  hutch  or  ornamental  rabbi  try. 

"The  food  of  the  rabbit  embraces  great  variety, 
including  grain  of  all  kinds,  bran,  pea-chaff,  miller's 
waste,  brewer's  grains,  clover  and  other  hay,  and  the 
various  weeds  known  as  plantain,  dock,  mallow,  dan- 
delion, purslain,  thistles,  &c,  &c. 

"The  rabbit  thus  easily  conforms  itself  to  the  means, 
condition,  and  circumstances  of  its  owner;  occupies 
3ut  little  space,  breeds  often,  comes  early  to  maturity, 
and  is  withal,  a  healthy  animal,  requiring  however, 
to  be  kept  clean,  and  to  be  cautiouHly  fed  with  succu- 
lent  food,  which  must  always  be  free  from  dew  or 
rain  —  water  is  unnecessary  to  therri  when  fed  with 
'  greens.'  My  own  course  of  feeding  is,  one  gill  of 
oats  in  the  morning,  with  a  medium-sized  cabbage  leaf, 
or  what  I  may  consider  its  equivalent  in  any  other 
vegetable  food,  for  the  rabbit  in  confinement  must  be. 
as  already  stated,  cautiously  fed  with  what  is  succu- 
lent.   At  noon.  I  feed  a  handful'  of  cut  hay  or  clove? 


320 


RURAL  ARCHiTiLCTURIL. 


chaff,  and  in  the  evening  the  same  as  in  the  morning 
To  does,  when  suckling,  I  give  what  they  will  eat  of 
ooth  green  and  dry  food.  The  cost  to  me  is  about 
,hree  cents  per  week,  per  head. 

"  I  by  no  means  recommend  this  as  the  best,  or  the 
"\ost  economical  mode  of  feeding,  but  it  happens  to 
suit  my  convenience.  Were  I  in  a  town,  or  near  mills 
I  should  make  use  of  other  and  cheaper  substitutes. 
My  young  rabbits,  when  taken  from  the  doe,  say  at 
eight,  ten,  or  twelve  weeks  old,  are  turned  out  together 
till  about  six  months  old,  when  it  becomes  necessary 
to  take  them  up,  and  put  them  in  separate  batches,  to 
prevent  their  lighting  and  destroying  each  other.  The 
doe  at  that  age  is  ready  to  breed ;  her  period  of  gesta- 
tion is  about  thirty-one  or  two  days,  and  she  produces 
from  three  or  fo  jr  to  a  dozen  young  at  a  c  litter.5  It 
is  not  well  t<-  let  her  raise  more  than  six,  or  even  four 
at  once  —  the  fewer,  the  larger  and  finer  the  produce. 

"  Young  rabbits  are  killed  for  the  table  at  any  age, 
from  twelve  weeks  to  twelve  months  old,  and  are  a 
very  acceptable  addition  to  the  country  larder.  The 
male  is  not  allowed  to  remain  with  the  doe,  lest  he 
should  destroy  the  young  ones. 

"  Hutches  are  made  singly,  or  in  stacks,  to  suit  the 
apartment,  which  should  be  capable  of  thorough  ven- 
tilation. The  best  size  is  about  three  feet  long,  twe 
feet  deep,  and  fourteen  inches  high,  with  a  small  apart- 
ment partitioned  off  from  one  end,  nearly  a  foot  wide, 
as  a  breeding  place  for  the  doe.  A  wire  door  forms 
the  front,  and  an  opening  is  left  behind  for  cleaning; 
the  floor  should  have  a  descent  to  the  back  of  the 


RUKAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


321 


hutch  of  two  inches.  All  edges  should  be  tinned,  to 
save  thein  rom  being  gnawed. 

"  Having  now  given  the  leading  characteristics  and 
qualities  which  constitute  a  good  £  fancy  lop-eared  rab- 
bit,5 and  its  general  management,  allow  me  to  remark 
on  the  striking  difference  observable  between  Ameri- 
cans and  the  people  of  many  other  countries,  as  to  a 
fondness  for  animals,  or  what  are  termed  «  fancy  pets,' 
of  and  for  which  we,  as  a  people,  know  and  care  very 
little.  Indeed,  we  scarcely  admit  more  than  a  selfish 
fellowship  with  the  dog,  and  but  too  seldom  does  our 
attachment  even  for  this  faithful  companion,  place  him 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  omnipotent  dollar. 

"  The  operatives,  mechanics,  and  laborers,  in  other 
countries,  seem  to  have  a  perfect  passion  for  such  pur- 
suits, and  take  the  greatest  interest  and  pride  in  breed- 
ing and  perfecting  the  lesser  animals,  though  often 
obliged  to  toil  for  the  very  food  they  feed  to  them. 
Here,  too,  home  influences  are  perceived  to  be  good, 
and  are  encouraged  by  the  employer,  as  supplying  tho 
place  of  other  and  much  more  questionable  pursuits 
and  tastes." 

We  here  present  the  elevation,  and  floor  plan  of  Mr. 
Rodman's  rabbitry,  together  with  the  front  and  rear 
riews  of  the  hutches  within  them: 


NO.  I.  ELEVATION. 


XO  II. — MAIN  FLOOR  PLAN. 


RUHAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


323 


No.  1  is  the  gable  end  elevation  of  the  building,  with 
a  door  and  window. 

No.  2  is  the  main-floor  plan,  or  living  room  for  the 
rabbits. 

EXPLANATION. 

A,  the  doe's  hutches,  with  nest  boxes  attached.  B, 
iiutches  three  feet  long,  with  movable  partitions  for 
the  young  rabbits  ;  the  two  lower  hutches  are  ased  for 
the  stock  bucks.  C,  a  tier  of  grain  boxes  on  the  floor 
for  feeding  the  rabbits  —  the  covers  sloping  out  toward 
the  room.  D,  small  trapdoor,  leading  into  the  ma- 
nure cellar  beneath.  E,  large  trapdoor  leading  into 
root  cellar.  F,  troughs  for  leading  off  urine  from  rear 
of  hutches  into  the  manure  cellar  at  K,  K.  G,  wood- 
en trunk  leading  from  chamber  above  No.  3,  through 
this  into  manure  cellar.  H,  trap  opening  into  manure 
cellar.  I,  stairs  leading  into  loft  No.  3,  with  hinged 
trapdoor  overhead  ;  when  open,  it  will  turn  up  against 
the  wall,  and  leave  a  passage  to  clear  out  the  hutches. 

Note. — The  grain  boxes  are  one  foot  high  in  front, 
and  fifteen  inches  at  the  back,  with  sloping  bottoms, 
and  sloping  covers.  The  floors  of  the  hutches  have  a 
slope  of  two  inches  back.  The  hutches  are  furnished, 
at  the  back  of  the  floor,.  wTith  pieces  of  zinc,  to  keep 
them  free  from  the  drippings  from  above.  The  hutches 
are  16  inches  high,  3  feet  long,  and  2  feet  deep. 

The  foregoing  plans  and  explanations  might  perhaps 
be  sufficient  for  the  guidance  of  such  as  wish  to  con- 
struct a  rabbitry  for  their  own  use ;  but  as  a  complete 
arrangement  of  all  the  rooms  which  may  be  conveni- 
ently appropriated  to  this  object,  to  make  it  a  complete 


324 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


thing,  may  be  acceptable  to  the  reader,  we  conclude, 
even  at  the  risk  of  prolixity,  to  insert  the  upper  loft, 
and  cellar  apartments,  with  which  we  have  been  fur- 
nished ;  hoping  that  our  youthful  friends  will  set  them- 
selves about  the  construction  of  a  branch  of  rural 
employment  so  home-attaching  in  its  associations. 


 F  T"Bf 

E  

□  D 

A 

C 

F 

f  M   7  f  3  2  /  0 

I  L-  j    ]    }    \   '   ]    \   }    1  — —J 

NO.  III. — LOFT  OR  GARRET. 

No.  3  is  the  loft  or  chamber  story,  next  above  the 
main  floor. 

EXPLANATION. 

A,  place  for  storing  hay.  B,  stairs  leading  from 
below.  C,  room  for  young  rabbits.  D,  trapdoor 
into  trunk  leading  to  manure  cellar.  E,  partition  four 
feet  high.  This  allows  of  ventilation  between  the  two 
windows,  in  summer,  which  would  be  cut  off,  were  the 
partition  carried  all  the  way  up. 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


325 


NO.  IV-  CELLAR, 


No.  4  is  the  cellar  under  the  rabbitry. 

EXPLANATION. 

A,  manure  cellar.  B,  root  cellar.  C,  stairs  lead- 
ing to  first,  or  main  floor.  D,  stairs  leading  outside. 
E,  window  —  lighting  both  rooms  of  cellar. 

Ho.  5  is  a  front  section  of  rabbit  hutches,  eight  in 
number,  two  in  a  line,  four  tiers  high,  one  above 
another,  with  wire-screened  doors,  hinges,  and  buttons 
for  fastening.    A,  the  grain  trough,  is  at  the  bottom 

No.  6  is  the  floor  section  of  the  hutches,  falling,  as 
before  mentioned,  two  inches  from  front  to  rear. 

A,  is  the  door  to  lift  up,  for  cleaning  out  the  floors. 
B,  is  the  zinc  plate,  to  carry  off  the  urine  and  running 


V-  KG,  vr. 


!    1    !    !    I    !    i    «    i    i  i 


FRONT  OF  HUTCH. 


NO.  VII.  no.  VIII. 


REAR  OF  HUTCH, 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


327 


wash  of  the  floors.  C,  is  the  trough  for  carrying  off 
this  offal  into  the  manure  cellars,  through  the  trunk, 
as  seen  in  ~No.  2. 

Js"o.  7  is  a  rear  section  of  hutches,  same  as  in  No.  5, 
with  the  waste  trough  at  the  bottom  leading  into  the 
trench  before  described,  with  the  cross  section,  No.  8, 
before  described  in  iSTo.  6. 

A,  a  grated  door  at  the  back  of  the  hutch,  for  ventila- 
tion in  summer,  and  covered  with  a  thin  board  in  winter. 
B,  a  flap-door,  four  inches  wide,  which  is  raised  for 
cleaning  out  the  floor  ;  under  this  door  is  a  space  of  one 
inch,  for  passing  out  the  urine  of  the  rabbits.  C,  are 
buttons  for  fastening  the  doors.  D,  the  backs-  of  the 
bedrooms,  without  any  passage  out  on  back  side. 

This  matter  of  the  rabbitry,  and  its  various  explana- 
tions, may  be  considered  by  the  plain,  matter-of-fact 
man,  as  below  the  dignity  of  people  pursuing  the  useful 
aud  money-making  business  of  life.  Very  possible. 
But  many  boys  —  for  whose  benefit  they  are  chiefly 
introduced  —  and  men,  even,  may  do  worse  than  to 
spend  their  time  in  such  apparent  trifles.  It  is  better 
than  going  to  a  horse-race.  It  is  better  even  than 
going  to  a  trotting  match,  where  fast  men,  as  well  as 
fast  horses  congregate.  It  is  better,  too,  than  a  thou- 
sand other  places  where  boys  want  to  go,  when  they 
have  nothing  to  interest  them  at  home. 

One  half  of  the  farmer's  boys,  who,  disconter  ted  at 
home,  leave  it  for  something  more  congenial  to  their 
feelings  and  tastes,  do  so  simply  because  of  the  exces- 
sive dullness,  and  want  of  interest  in  objects  to  attract 
them  there,  and  keep  them  contented.     Boys,  in 


BtTRAI,  ARCHITECTURE. 


America  at  least,  are  apt  to  be  smart.  So  their  parenta 
think,  at  all  events ;  and  too  smart  they  prove,  to  stay 
at  home,  and  follow  the  beaten  track  of  their  fathers, 
as  their  continual  migration  from  the  paternal  roof  too 
plainly  testifies.  This,  in  many  cases,  is  the  fault  ol 
the  parents  themselves,  because  they  neglect  those 
little  objects  of  interest  to  which  the  minds  and  tastes 
of  their  sons  are  inclined,  and  for  want  of  which  they 
imagine  more  attractive  objects  abroad,  although  in 
the  search  they  often  fail  in  finding  them.  We  are  a 
progressive  people.  Our  children  are  not  always  con- 
tent to  be  what  their  fathers  are ;  and  parents  must 
yield  a  little  to  "  the  spirit  of  the  age  n  in  which  they 
live.  And  boys  jpay  too,  as  they  go  along,  if  properly 
treated.  They  should  be  made  companions,  not  ser- 
vants. Many  a  joyous,  hearty  spirit,  who,  when  prop- 
erly encouraged,  comes  out  a  whole  man  at  one-and- 
twenty,  if  kept  in  curb,  and  harnessed  down  by  a  hard 
parent,  leaves  the  homestead,  with  a  curse  and  a  kick, 
determined,  whether  in  wreal  or  in  woe,  never  to  return. 
Under  a  different  course  of  treatment,  he  would  have 
fixed  his  home  either  at  his  birthplace,  or  in  its  im- 
mediate vicinity,  and  in  a  life  of  frugality,  usefulness, 
and  comparative  ease,  blessed  his  parents,  his  neigh- 
borhood,  and  possibly  the  world,  with  a  useful  exam- 
ple—  all,  perhaps,  grown  out  of  his  youthful  indul- 
gence in  the  possession  of  a  rabbit-warren,  or  some 
like  trifling  matter. 

This  may  appear  to  be  small  morals,  as  well  as  small 
business.  We  admit  it.  But  those  who  have  been 
well,  and  indulgently,  as  well  as  methodically  trained. 


KUSAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


329 


may  loJk  back  and  see  the  influence  which  all  such 
dttle  things  had  upon  their  early  thoughts  and  inclina 
tions ;  and  thus  realize  the  importance  of  providing 
for  the  amusements  and  pleasures  of  children  in  their 
early  years.  The  dovecote,  the  rabbitry,  the  poultry- 
yard,  the  sheep-fold,  the  calf-pen,  the  piggery,  the 
young  colt  of  a  favorite  mare,  the  yoke  of  yearling 
steers,  or  a  fruit  tree  which  they  have  planted,  and 
nursed,  and  called  it,  or  the  fruit  it  bears,  their  own, — 
anything,  in  fact,  which  they  can  call  theirs  —  are  so 
many  objects  to  bind  boys  to  their  homes,  and  hallow 
it  with  a  thousand  nameless  blessings  and  associations, 
known  only  to  those  who  have  been  its  recipients. 
Heaven's  blessings  be  on  the  family  homestead! 

*  Be  it  ever  so  humble,  there 's  no  place  like  home  ! n 

sung  the  imaginary  maid  of  Milan,  the  beautiful  crea- 
tion of  John  Howard  Payne,  when  returning  from 
the  glare  and  pomp  of  the  world,  to  her  native  cottage 
in  the  mountains  of  Switzerland.  And,  although  all 
out  of  date,  and  conventionally  vulgar  this  sentiment 
may  be  now  considered,  such  is,  or  should  be  the  sub- 
dued, unsophisticated  feeling  of  all  natives  of  the  farm 
house,  and  the  country  cottage.  We  may  leave  the 
quiet  roof  of  our  childhood  ;  we  may  mix  in  the  bustling 
contentions  of  the  open  world ;  we  may  gain  its  treas- 
ures ;  we  may  enjoy  its  greatness,  its  honors,  and  ita 
app.ause;  but  there  are  times  when  they  will  all  fade 
into  nothing,  in  comparison  with  the  peace,  and  qui- 
etude, and  tranquil  happiness  of  a  few  acres  of  land, 
a  comfortable  roof,  and  contentment  therewith  ! 


sac 


SURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


DAIEY  BUILDINGS. 


Wherever  the  dairy  is  made  an  important  branch  of 
farm  production,  buildings  for  its  distinct  accommo 
elation  are  indispensable.  The  dairy  is  as  much  a 
manufactory  as  a  cotton  mill,  and  requires  as  much 
conveniences  in  its  own  peculiar  line.  We  therefore 
set  apart  a  building,  on  purpose  for  its  objects ;  and 
either  for  cheese,  or  butter,  separate  conveniences  are 
alike  required.    We  commence  with  the 

Cheese  Dairy  House. 

This  building  is  one  and  a  half  stories  high,  with  a 
broad,  spreading  roof  of  45°  pitch ;  the  ground  plan 
is  10  feet  between  joists,  and  the  posts  16  feet  high. 
An  ice-house,  made  on  the  plan  already  described,  is 
at  one  end,  and  a  wood-shed  at  the  opposite  end,  of  the 
same  size.  This  building  is  supposed  to  be  erected 
near  the  milking  sheds  of  the  farm,  and  in  contiguity 
to  the  feeding  troughs  of  the  cows,  or  the  piggery,  ana 
adapted  to  the  convenience  of  feeding  the  whey  tc 


CHEESE    DAIRY  HOUSE. 


GROUND  PLAN. 


KURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


33. 


whichever  of  these  animals  the  dairyman  may  select., 
as  both,  or  either  are  required  to  consume  it ;  and  to 
which  it,  may  be  conveyed  in  spouts  from  the  dairy- 
room. 

INTERIOR  ARRANGEMENT. 

The  front  door  is  protected  by  a  light  porch,  (a,) 
entering  by  a  door,  (5,)  the  main  dairy  room.  The 
cheese  presses,  (<?,  <?,)  occupy  the  left  end  of  the  room, 
between  which  a  passage  leads  through  a  door,  (Z,)  intr 
the  wood-shed,  (A,)  open  on  all  sides,  with  its  roof  rest- 
ing on  four  posts  set  in  the  ground.  The  large  cheese- 
table,  (d,)  stands  on  the  opposite  end,  and  is  3  feet 
wide.  In  the  center  of  the  room  is  a  chimney,  (<?,) 
with  a  whey  and  water  boiler,  and  vats  on  each  side 
A  flight  of  stairs,  (/,)  leading  into  the  storage  room 
above,  is  in  the  rear.  A  door,  (&,)  on  the  extreme 
right,  leads  into  the  ice-house,  (g.)  There  are  fom 
windows  to  the  room — two  on  each  side,  front  and 
rear.  In  the  loft  are  placed  the  shelves  for  storing  the 
cheese,  as  soon  as  sufficiently  prepared  on  the  tempo- 
rary table  below.  This  loft  is  thoroughly  ventilated  by 
windows,  and  the  heat  of  the  sun  upon  it  ripens  the 
cheese  rapidly  for  market.  A  trapdoor,  through  the 
floors,  over  which  is  hung  a  tackle,  admits  the  cheese 
from  below,  or  passes  it  down,  when  prepared  for 
market. 

The  cheese  house  should,  if  possible,  be  placed  on  a 
sloping  bank,  when  it  is  designed  to  feed  the  whey  to 
pigs ;  and  even  when  it  is  fed  to  cows,  it  is  more  con- 
venient to  pass  it  to  them  on  a  lower  level,  than  to 


884 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


cany  it  out  in  buckets.  It  may,  however,  if  on  level 
ground,  be  discharged  into  vats,  in  a  cellar  below,  and 
pumped  out  as  wanted.  A  cellar  is  convenient — in- 
deed, almost  indispensable — under  the  cheese  dairy; 
and  water  should  be  so  near  as  to  be  easily  pumped, 
or  drawn,  into  the  vats  and  kettles  used  in  running  up 
the  curd,  or  for  washing  the  utensils  used  in  the  work. 
"When  the  milk  is  kept  over  night,  for  the  next  morn- 
ing's curd,  temporary  tables  may  be  placed  near  the 
ice-room,  to  hold  the  pans  or  tubs  in  which  it  may  be 
set,  and  the  ice  used  to  temper  the  milk  to  the  propei 
degree  for  raising  the  cream.  If  the  dairy  be  of  such 
extent  as  to  require  larger  accommodation  than  the 
plan  hero  suggested,  a  room  or  two  may  be  partitioned 
oft*  from  the  main  milk  and  pressing-room,  for  wash- 
ing the  vessels  and  other  articles  employed,  and  for 
setting  tie  milk.  Every  facility  should  be  made  for 
neatness  in  all  the  operations  connected  with  the  work. 

Different  accommodations  are  required,  for  making 
the  different  kinds  of  cheese  which  our  varied  markets 
demand,  and  in  the  fitting  up  of  the  dairy-house,  no 
positive  plan  of  arrangement  can  be  laid  down,  suited 
alike  to  all  the  work  which  may  be  demanded.  The 
dairyman,  therefore,  will  best  arrange  all  these  for  the 
particular  convenience  which  he  requires.  The  main 
plan,  and  style  of  building  however,  we  think  will  be 
generally  approved,  as  being  in  an  agreeable  architec- 
tural style,  and  of  convenient  construction  and  shape 
for  the  objects  intended, 


SUSAJj  ARCHITECTURE, 


THE  BUTTEE  DAISY. 


This,  it  pursued  on  the  same  farm  with  the  ^hees< 
dairy,  and  at  different  seasons  of  the  year,  may  be 
carried  on  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  same  building. 
But  as  it  is  usually  a  distinct  branch  of  business,  when 
prosecuted  as  the  chief  object  on  a  farm,  it  should  have 
accommodations  of  its  own  kind,  which  should  be  fitted 
up  specially  for  that  purpose. 

We  cannot,  perhaps,  suggest  a  better  model  of  a 
building  for  the  butter  dairy,  than  the  one  just  sub- 
mitted for  the  cheese-house,  only  that  there  is  no  neces- 
sity for  the  upper  story ;  and  the  posts  of  the  main 
building  should  not  stand  more  than  nine  feet  above 
the  sills.  A  good,  walled  cellar,  well  lighted,  as  a 
room  for  setting  the  milk,  is  indispensable,  with  a 
broad,  open  flight  of  steps,  from  the  main  floor  above, 
into  it.  Here,  too,  should  stand  the  stone  slabs,  where 
the  butter  is  worked,  and  the  churns,  to  be  driven  by 
hand,  or  water,  or  animal  power,  as  the  two  latter  may 
be  provided,  and  introduced  into  the  building  by  belt, 
shaft,  or  crank.     If  running  water  can  be  brought  ou 


336 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


to  the  milk-shelves,  from  a  higher  level,  whicl ,  fo 
this  purpose,  should  have  curbs  two  or  three  inches 
high  on  their  sides,  it  can  flow  in  a  constant  gentle 
current  over  them,  among  the  pans,  from  a  receiving 
vat,  in  which  ice  is  deposited,  to  keep  the  milk  at  the 
proper  temperature  —  about  55°  Fahrenheit  —  for  rais- 
ing the  cream ;  and  if  the  quantity  of  milk  be  large, 
the  shelves  can  be  so  arranged,  by  placing  each  tier  of 
shelf  lower  than  the  last,  like  steps,  that  the  water 
may  pass  anions;  them  all  before  it  escapes  from  th^ 
room.  Such  a  mode  of  applying  water  and  ice,  ren 
ders  the  entire  process  of  cream-rising  almost  certain 
in  all  weathers,  and  is  highly  approved  wherever  it  has 
been  practiced.  The  low  temperature  of  the  room,  by 
the  aid  of  water  and  ice,  is  also  beneficial  to  the  butter 
packed  in  kegs,  keeping  it  cool  and  sweet — as  much 
like  a  sj>ring-house  as  possible,  in  its  operation. 

The  washing  and  drying  of  pans,  buckets,  churns, 
and  the  heating  of  water,  should  all  be  done  in  the 
room  above,  where  the  necessary  kettles  are  set,  and 
kept  from  contact  with  the  cool  atmosphere  of  the 
lower  room.  The  latter  apartment  should  have  a  well- 
laid  stone  or  brick  floor,  filled  and  covered  with  a 
strong  cement  of  water  lime,  and  sloping  gradually  to 
the  outer  side,  where  all  the  water  may  pass  off  by  a 
drain,  and  everything  kept  sweet  and  clean.  The  but- 
termilk may,  as  in  the  case  of  the  whey,  in  the  cheese 
dairy,  be  passed  off  in  spouts  to  the  pigsty,  which 
should  not  be  far  distant. 

As  all  this  process  of  arrangement,  however,  must 
conform  somewhat  to  the  shape  of  the  ground,  r 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE . 


337 


locality,  and  the  facilities  at  hand  where  it  may  be 
constructed ;  it  is  hardly  possible  to  give  any  one  system 
of  detail  which  is  applicable  to  an  uniform  mode  of 
structure ;  and  much  will  be  left  to  the  demands  and 
the  skill  of  the  dairyman  himself,  in  the  plan  he  may 
finally  adopt. 


THE  WATER  RAM. 

As  water,  and  that  of  a  good  quality,  and  in  abur 
dant  quantity,  is  indispensable  to  the  various  demands 
of  the  farm,  it  is  worth  some  pains  to  provide  it  in  the 
most  economical  manner,  and  at  the  most  convenient 
points  for  use.  In  level  grounds,  wells  are  generally 
dug,  and  the  water  drawn  up  by  buckets  or  pumps. 
In  a  hilly  country,  springs,  and  streams  from  higher 
grounds,  may  be  brought  in  by  the  aid  of  pipes,  the 
water  flowing  naturally,  under  its  own  head,  wherever 
it  may  be  wanted,  away  from  its  natural  stream. 

But,  of  all  contrivances  to  elevate  water  from  a 
lower  fountain,  or  current,  to  a  higher  level,  by  its  own 
action,  the  Water  Ram  is  the  most  complete  in  its 
operation,  and  perfect  in  its  construction,  of  anything 
within  our  knowledge.  And  as  it  may  not  be  generally 
known  to  our  readers,  at  our  request,  Messrs.  A.  B. 
Allen  &  Co.,  of  New  York — who  keep  them  of  all 
sizes  for  sale,  at  their  agricultural  warehouse,  No'; 


538 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


189  and  191,  Water-street  —  have  kindly  furnished  us 
with  the  following  description  of  the  machine,  given 
by  W.  &  B.  Douglass,  of  Middletown,  Connecticut, 
manufacturers  of  the  article  : 


WATER  RAM. 


"H,  spring  or  brook.    0,  drive,  or  supply-pipe 
from  brook  to  ram.     G-,  discharge  pipe,  conveying 
water  to  house  or  other  point  required  for  use.    B,  D, 
A,  E,  I,  the  Ram.    J,  the  plank  or  other  foundation 
to  which  the  machine  is  secured  for  use. 

"The  various  uses  of  the  ram  are  at  once  obvious, 
viz.,  for  the  purposes  of  irrigating  lands,  and  supply- 
ing dwellings,  barnyards,  gardens,  factories,  villages, 
engines,  railroad  stations,  &c,  with  running  water. 

"The  simplicity  of  the  operation  of  this  machine, 
together  with  its  effectiveness,  and  very  apparent  dura- 
bility, renders  it  decidedly  the  most  important  and 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE.  83.S 

valuable  apparatus  yet  developed  in  hydraulics,  for 
forcing  a  portion  of  a  running  stream  of  water  to  any 
elevation,  proportionate  to  the  fall  obtained.  It  is  per- 
fectly applicable  where  no  more  than  eighteen  inches 
fall  can  be  had;  yet,  the  greater  the  fall  applied,  the 
more  powerful  the  operation  of  the  machine,  and  the 
higher  the  water  may  be  conveyed.  The  relative  pro- 
portions between  the  water  raised,  and  wasted,  is  de- 
pendent entirely  upon  the  relative  height  of  the  spring 
or  source  of  supply  above  the  ram,  and  the  elevation 
to  which  it  is  required  to  be  raised.  The  quantity 
raised  varying  in  proportion  to  the  height  to  which  it 
is  conveyed,  with  a  given  fall ;  also,  the  distance  which 
the  water  has  to  be  conveyed,  and  consequent  length 
of  pipe,  has  some  bearing  on  the  quantity  of  water 
raised  and  discharged  by  the  ram ;  as,  the  longer  the 
pipe  through  wThich  the  water  has  to  be  forced  by  the 
machine,  the  greater  the  friction  to  be  overcome,  and 
the  more  the  power  consumed  in  the  operation  ;  yet,  it 
is  common  to  apply  the  ram  for  conveying  the  water 
distances  of  one  and  two  hundred  rods,  and  up  eleva- 
tions of  one  and  two  hundred  feet.  Ten  feet  fall  from 
the  spring,  or  brook,  to  the  ram,  is  abundantly  sufficient 
for  forcing  up  the  water  to  any  elevation  under  say  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  height,  above  the  level  of  the 
.joint  where  the  ram  is  located ;  and  the  same  ten  feet 
fall  will  raise  the  water  to  a  much  higher  point  than 
above  last  named,  although  in  a  diminished  quantity, 
in  proportion  as  the  height  is  increased.  When  a  suf- 
ficient quantity  of  water  is  raised  with  a  given  fall,  it 

is  not  advisable  to  increase  said  fall,  as  in  so  doing  the 
14* 


340 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


force  with  which  the  ram  works  is  increased,  and  tne 
amount  of  labor  which  it  has  to  perform  greatly  aug- 
mented, the  wear  and  tear  of  the  machine  proportion- 
ably  increased,  and  the  durability  of  the  same  lessened ; 
so  that  economy,  in  the  expense  of  keeping  the  ram 
in  repair,  would  dictate  that  no  greater  fall  should  be 
applied,  for  propelling  the  ram,  than  is  sufficient  to 
raise  a  requisite  supply  of  water  to  the  place  of  use. 
To  enable  any  person  to  make  the  calculation,  as  to 
what  fall  would  be  sufficient  to  apply  to  the  ram,  to 
raise  a  sufficient  supply  of  water  to  his  premises,  we 
would  say,  that  in  conveying  it  any  ordinary  distance, 
of  say  fifty  or  sixty  rods,  it  may  be  safely  calculated 
that  about  one-seventh  part  of  the  water  can  be  raised 
and  discharged  at  an  elevation  above  the  ram  five 
times  as  high  as  the  fall  which  is  applied  to  the  ram, 
or  one-fourteenth  part  can  be  raised  and  discharged, 
say  ten  times  as  high  as  the  fall  applied  ;  and  so  in 
that  proportion,  as  the  fall  or  rise  is  varied.  Thus,  if 
the  ram  be  placed  under  a  head  or  fall  of  five  feet,  of 
every  seven  gallons  drawn  from  the  spring,  one  may 
be  raised  twenty-five  feet,  or  half  a  gallon  fifty  feet. 
Or  with  ten  feet  fall  applied  to  the  machine,  of  every 
fourteen  gallons  drawm  from  the  spring,  one  gallon 
may  be  raised  to  the  height  of  one  hundred  feet  above 
the  machine ;  and  so  in  like  proportion,  as  the  fall  or 
rise  is  increased  or  diminished. 

"  It  is  presumed  that  the  above  illustrations  of  what 
the  machine  will  do  under  certain  heads  and  rise,  will 
be  sufficient  for  all  practical  purposes,  to  enable  pur- 
chasers of  the  article  to  determine,  with  a  sufficient 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


341 


degree  of  nicety,  as  to  the  head  or  fall  to  apply  to  the 
ram  for  a  given  rise  and  distance,  which  they  may 
wish  to  overcome  in  raising  water  from  springs  01 
brooks  to  their  premises,  or  other  places  where  water 
is  required.  Yet,  we  have  the  pleasure  of  copying  the 
following  article,  which  wTe  find  in  the  '  American 
Agriculturist,'  a  very  valuable  journal  published  by 
C.  M.  Saxton,  152  Fulton-street,  New  York,  which 
may  serve  to  corroborate  our  statements  as  to  what  our 
ram  will  accomplish  under  given  circumstances : 

UiThe  following  is  a  correct  statement  of  a  wTater 
ram  I  have  had  in  successful  operation  for  the  last  six 
months : 

" 6  1.  The  fall  from  the  surface  of  the  water  in  the 
spring  is  four  feet.  2.  The  quantity  of  water  delivered 
per  ten  minutes,  at  my  house,  is  three  and  a  quarter 
gallons,  and  that  discharged  at  the  ram  twenty-five 
gallons.  Thus,  nearly  one-seventh  part  of  the  water 
is  saved.  3.  The  perpendicular  height  of  the  place  of 
delivery  above  the  ram  is  nineteen  feet — say  fifteen 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  spring.  4.  The  length 
of  the  pipe  leading  from  the  ram  to  the  house  is  one 
hundred  and  ninety  feet.  5.  The  pipe  leading  from 
the  ram  to  the  house  has  three  right  angles,  rounded 
by  curves.  6.  The  ram  is  of  Douglass'  make,  of  a 
small  size.  7.  The  length  of  the  drive  or  supply-pipe 
is  sixty  feet.  Its  inner  diameter  one  yich.  8.  The 
depth  of  water  in  the  spring,  over  the  drive  pipe,  is 
six  inches.  9.  The  inner  diameter  of  the  pipe,  con- 
ducting the  water  from  the  ram  to  the  house,  is  three- 
eighths  of  an  inch. 


342 


RUKAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


" c  I  consider  it  very  essential  that  the  drive  or 
suppjy-pipe  should  be  laid  as  straight  as  possible,  as 
in  the  motion  of  the  water  in  this  pipe  consists  the 
power  of  the  ram. 

Y.  H.  Hallock. 

North-East  Center,  N.  Y.,  April  2d,  1849.'  " 

We  have  seen  several  of  these  rams  at  work ;  and  in 
any  place  where  the  required  amount  of  fall  can  be 
had,  with  sufficient  water  to  supply  the  demand,  we 
are  entirely  satisfied  that  no  plan  so  cheap  and  effi- 
cient can  be  adopted,  by  which  to  throw  it  to  a  higher 
level,  and  at  a  distance  from  the  point  of  its  flow.  We 
heartily  commend  it  to  all  who  need  a  thing  of  the 
kind,  and  have  at  hand  the  facilities  in  the  way  of  a 
stream  for  its  use. 

It  is  hardly  worth  while  to  add,  that  by  the  aid  of 
the  ram,  water  can  be  thrown  into  every  room  in  the 
dwelling  house,  as  well  as  into  the  various  buildings, 
and  yards,  and  fields  of  the  farm,  wherever  it  may  be 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


343 


RAT-PEOOF  GEAXAEY. 


This  plan,  and  description,  we  take  from  an  agri- 
cultural periodical  published  in  Xew  York  —  uThe 
Plow."  ~\Ye  can  recommend  no  plan  of  a  better  kind 
for  the  objects  required.  It  is  an  old-fashioned  struc- 
ture, which  many  of  our  readers  will  recognize —  only, 
that  it  is  improved  in  some  of  its  details. 


GRANARY 

The  illustration  above  needs  but  little  description. 
The  posts  should  be  stone,  if  procurable,  one  foot 
square,  and  four  feet  long,  set  one-third  in  the  ground, 
and  capped  with  smooth  flat  stones,  four  to  six  inches 


nVRAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


thick,  and  two  feet,  at  least,  across.  If  wooden  posts 
are  used,  make  them  sixteen  inches  square,  and  set 
them  in  a  hole  previously  filled,  six  inches  deep,  with 
charcoal,  or  rubble  stone  and  lime  grouting,  and  fill 
around  the  posts  with  the  same.  Four  inches  from  the 
top,  nail  on  a  flange  of  tin  or  sheet  iron,  six  inches 
wide,  the  projecting  edge  of  which  may  be  serrated, 
as  a  further  preventive  against  the  depredating  rascals 
creeping  around.  The  steps  are  hinged  to  the  door- 
sill,  and  should  have  a  cord  and  weight  attached  to  the 
door,  so  that  whenever  it  is  shut,  the  steps  should  be 
up  also  ;  this  wrould  prevent  the  possibility  of  careless- 
ness in  leaving  them  down  for  the  rats  to  wTalk  up. 
The  sides  should  be  made  of  slats,  with  large  cracks 
between,  and  the  floor  under  the  corn-crib,  with  numer- 
ous open  joints ;  no  matter  if  shattered  corn  falls 
through,  let  the  pigs  and  chickens  have  it ;  the  circu- 
lation of  the  air  through  the  pile  of  corn,  will  more 
than  pay  for  all  you  will  lose  through  the  floor.  If 
you  intend  to  have  sweet  grain,  be  sure  to  have  a  ven- 
tilator in  the  roof,  and  you  may  see  by  the  vane  on 
the  top  <  f  it,  hew  the  wind  will  always  blow  favorably 
for  you. 


i&URAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


345 


IMPROVED  DOMESTIC  ANIMALS. 


Having  completed  the  series  of  subjects  which  we 
had  designed  for  this  work,  we  are  hardly  content  to 
send  it  out  to  the  public,  without  inviting  the  attention 
of  our  farmers,  and  others  who  dwell  in  the  country 
and  occupy  land,  to  the  importance  of  surrounding 
themselves  with  the  best  breeds  of  domestic  animals, 
as  an  item  of  increased  profit  in  their  farm  manage- 
ment, and  as  a  subject  of  interest  and  satisfaction  to 
themselves  in  the  embellishment  of  their  grounds. 

We  have  addressed  ourselves  through  these  pages  to 
the  good  sense  of  men  who,  in  their  general  character 
and  pursuits,  comprise  the  most  stable  class  of  our 
population.  We  have  endeavored  to  impress  upoi. 
them  the  importance  of  providing  all  the  conveniences 
and  comforts  to  themselves,  in  their  dwellings,  as  well 
as  the  due  provision  for  their  animals  and  crops,  in 
the  rougher  farm  buildings,  which  their  circumstances 
will  admit ;  and  we  trust  they  have  been  shown  that 
it  is  proper  economy  so  to  do.  We  have,  in  addition 
to  .these,  somewhat  dilated  upon  objects  of  embellish- 
ment, in  the  way  of  grounds  to  surround  them,  and 
trees  to  beautify  them,  which  will  in  no  way  interfere 
with  a  just  economy,  and  add  greatly  to  the  pleasure 


345 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


and  interest  of  their  occupation.  We  now  want  them 
to  introduce  into  those  grounds  such  domestic  animals 
as  shall  acid  to  their  ornament,  and  be  far  more  profit- 
able to  themselves,  than  the  inferior  things  which  are 
called  the  common,  or  native  stock  of  the  country. 
Without  this  last  lesson,  half  our  object  would  be  lost, 
Of  what  avail  wTill  be  the  best  provision  for  the  con- 
veniences of  a  family,  and  the  labors  of  the  farm,  if 
the  farm  be  badly  cultivated,  and  a  worthless  or  infe- 
rior stock  be  kept  upon  it?  The  work  is  but  half  done 
at  best ;  and  the  inferiority  of  the  l^st  will  only  become 
more  conspicuous  and  contemptible,  in  contrast  with 
the  superior  condition  of  the  first. 

It  is  not  intended  to  go  into  an  examination  of  the 
farm-stock  of  our  country  at  large,  nor  into  their  modes 
of  treatment;  but,  to  recommend  such  varieties  of 
animals  as  are  profitable  in  their  breeding  and  keep- 
ing, both  to  the  professional  farmer  in  bis  vocation,  and 
to  such  as,  beyond  this,  find  them  an  object  of  con- 
venience, or  of  pleasure. 

We,  in  America,  are  comparatively  a  young  people. 
Yet,  we  have  surmounted  necessity.  We  have  arrived 
at  the  period  when  we  enjoy  the  fruits  of  competence  — 
some  of  us,  the  luxuries  of  wealth.  A  taste  for  supe- 
rior domestic  animals  has  been  increasing,  and  spread- 
ing over  the  United  States  for  many  years  past;  so 
that  now,  a  portion  of  our  farmers  and  country  people 
understand  somewhat  of  the  subject.  It  has  been  tho- 
roughly demonstrated,  that  good  farm  stock  is  better, 
and  more  profitable  than  poor  stock.  Still,  a  taste  for 
good  stock,  and  the  advantages  of  keeping  them,  over 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


847 


the  common  stock  of  the  country,  is  not  generally 
understood ;  and  that  taste  has  to  be  cultivated.  It  is 
not  altogether  a  thing  of  nature,  any  more  than  other 
faculties  which  require  the  aid  of  education  to  devel- 
ope.  We  have  known  many  people  who  had  a  fine 
perception  in  many  things :  an  eye  for  a  fine  house, 
pleasant  grounds,  beautiful  trees,  and  all  the  surround- 
ings which  such  a  place  might  command;  and  when 
these  were  complete,  would  place  about  it  the  veriest 
brutes,  in  the  way  of  domestic  animals,  imaginable. 
The  resident  of  the  city,  who  lives  at  his  country-house 
in  summer,  and  selects  a  picture  of  mean  or  inferior 
quality,  to  hang  up  in  his  house  by  way  of  ornament, 
would  be  laughed  at  by  his  friends  ;  yet  he  may  drive 
into  his  grounds  the  meanest  possible  creature,  in  the 
shape  of  a  cow,  a  pig,  or  a  sheep,  and  it  is  all  very 
well — for  neither  he  nor  they  know  any  better;  yet, 
the  one  is  quite  as  much  out  of  place  as  the  other. 
The  man,  too,  who,  in  good  circumstances,  will  keep 
and  drive  a  miserable  horse,  is  the  ridicule  of  his 
neighbors,  because  everybody  knows  what  a  good  horse 
is,  and  that  he  should  be  well  kept.  Yet,  the  other 
stock  on  his  farm  may  be  the  meanest  trash  in  exis- 
tence, and  it  creates  no  remark.  On  the  contrary,  one 
who  at  any  extra  cost  has  supplied  himself  with  stock 
of  the  choicer  kinds,  let  their  superiority  be  ever  so 
apparent,  has  often  been  the  subject  of  ribaldry,  by 
his  unthinking  associates.  And  such,  we  are  sorry  to 
say,  is  still  the  case  in  too  many  sections  of  our  coun- 
try. But,  on  the  whole,  both  our  public  spirit,  and 
our  intelligence,  is  increasing,  in  such  things. 


848 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


Now,  we  hold  it  to  be  a  practical  fact,  that  no  farm, 
or  country  place,  can  be  complete  in  its  appointments, 
without  good  stock  upon  it ;  and  it  is  useless  for  any 
one  to  suppose  that  his  farm,  or  his  place,  is  finislied, 
without  it.  The  man  who  has  a  fine  lawn,  of  any 
extent,  about  his  house,  or  a  park  adjoining,  should 
have  something  to  graze  it — for  he  cannot  afford  to  let 
it  lie  idle ;  nor  is  it  worth  while,  even  if  he  can  afford 
it,  to  be  mowing  the  grass  in  it  every  fortnight  during 
the  summer,  to  make  it  sightly.  Besides  this,  grass 
will  grow  under  the  trees,  and  that  too  thin,  and  short, 
for  cutting.  This  ground  must,  of  course,  be  pastured. 
Now,  will  he  go  and  get  a  parcel  of  mean  scrubs  of 
cattle,  or  sheep,  to  graze  it,  surrounding  his  very  door, 
and  disgracing  him  by  their  vulgar,  plebeian  looks,  and 
yielding  him  no  return,  in  either  milk,  beef,  mutton, 
or  wool?  Of  course  not,  if  he  be  a  wise,  or  a  provi- 
dent man,  or  one  who  has  any  true  taste  in  such  mat- 
ters. He  will  rather  go  and  obtain  the  best  stock  he 
can  get,  of  breeds  suited  to  the  climate,  and  soil,  which 
will  give  him  a  profitable  return,  either  in  milk,  or 
flesh,  or  their  increase,  for  his  outlay  ;  and  which  will 
also  embellish  his  grounds,  and  create  an  interest  in 
his  family  for  their  care,  and  arrest  the  attention  of 
those  who  visit  him,  or  pass  by  his  grounds.  Of  the 
proper  selection  of  this  branch  of  his  stock,  we  shall 
now  discourse. 

In  cattle,  if  your  grounds  be  rich,  and  your  grass 
abundant,  the  short-horns  are  the  stock  for  them.  They 
are  "the  head  and  front,"  in  appearance,  size,  and 
combination  of  good  qualities — -the  very  aristocracy 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


3*9 


of  all  neat  cattle.  A  well-bred,  and  well  developed 
short-born  cow,  full  in  the  qualities  which  belong  to 
ner  character,  is  the  very  perfection  of  her  kind.  Her 
large,  square  form ;  fine  orange,  russet,  or  nut-colored 
muzzle  ;  bright,  prominent,  yet  mild,  expressive  eye  , 
small,  light  horn  ;  thin  ears  ;  clean  neck ;  projecting 
brisket ;  deep,  and  broad  chest ;  level  back,  and  loin  ; 
broad  hips ;  large,  and  well-spread  udder,  with  its 
silky  covering  of  hair,  and  clean,  taper,  wide-standing 
teats,  giving  twenty  to  thirty  quarts  of  rich  milk  in  a 
day  ;  deep  thigh,  and  twist ;  light  tail ;  small,  short 
legs  ;  and,  added  to  this,  her  brilliant  and  ever-varying 
colors  of  all,  and  every -intermingling  shades  of  red,  and 
white,  or  either  of  them  alone ;  such,  singly,  or  in  groups, 
standing  quietly  under  the  shade  of  trees,  grazing  in  the 
open  field,  or  quietly  resting  upon  the  grass,  are  the  very 
perfection  of  a  cattle  picture,  and  give  a  grace  and 
beaut}^  to  the  grounds  which  no  living  thing  can  equal. 

Nor,  in  this  laudation  of  the  short-horns,  are  we  at 
all  mistaken.  Go  into  the  luxuriant  blue-grass  pas- 
tures of  Kentucky  ;  the  rich,  and  wide-spread  grazing 
regions  of  central  and  lower  Ohio ;  the  prairies  of 
Indiana,  and  Illinois,  just  now  beginning  to  receive 
them;  the  sweet,  and  succulent  pastures  of  central 
and  western  New  York,  or  on  the  Hudson  river ;  and 
now  and  then,  a  finely-cultivated  farm  in  other  sections 
of  the  United  States,  where  their  worth  has  become 
established ;  and  they  present  pictures  of  thrift,  of 
excellence,  of  beauty,  and  of  profit,  that  no  other  neat 
cattle  can  pretend  to  equal. 

As  a  family  cow,  nothing  can  excel  the  short-horn 
in  the  abundance  and  richness  of  her  milk,  and  in  the 
profit  she  will  yield  to  her  owner;  and,  on  every  place 
where  she  can  be  supplied  with  abundance  of  food, 


350 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


she  stands  without  a  rival.  From  the  short-horns, 
spring  those  magnificent  fat  oxen  and  steers,  which 
attract  so  much  admiration,  and  carry  off  the  prizes, 
at  our  great  cattle  shows.  Thousands  of  them,  of  less 
or  higher  grade  in  blood,  are  fed  every  year,  in  the 
Scioto,  the  Miami,  and  the  other  great  feeding  valleys 
of  the  west,  and  in  the  fertile  corn  regions  of  Kentucky, 
and  taken  to  the  New  York  and  Philadelphia  markets. 
As  a  profitable  beast  to  the  grazier,  and  the  feeder, 
nothing  can  equal  them  in  early  maturity  and  excel- 
lence. For  this  purpose,  the  short  horns  are  steadily 
working  their  way  all  over  the  vast  cattle-breeding 
regions  of  the  west ;  and,  for  the  richness  and  abun- 
dance of  her  milk,  the  cow  is  eagerly  introduced  into 
the  dairy,  and  milk-producing  sections  of  the  other 
states,  where  she  will  finally  take  rank,  and  maintain  her 
superiority  over  all  others,  on  rich  and  productive  soils. 

On  lighter  soils,  with  shorter  pastures  ;  or  on  hilly 
and  stony  grounds,  another  race  of  cattle  may  be  kept, 
better  adapted  to  such  localities,  than  those  just  de- 
scribed. They  are  the  Devons — also  an  English  breed, 
and  claimed  there  as  an  aboriginal  race  in  England ; 
and  if  any  variety  of  cattle,  exhibiting  the  blood-like 
beauty,  and  fineness  of  limb,  the  deep  uniformity  of 
color,  and  the  gazelle-like  brilliancy  of  their  eye,  can 
claim  a  remote  ancestry,  and  a  pure  descent,  the  De- 
vons can  make  such  claim,  beyond  almost  any  other. 
They  were  introduced — save  now  and  then  an  isolated 
animal  at  an  earlier  day — into  the  United  States  some 
thirty-two  or  three  years  ago,  about  the  same  time  with, 
the  short-horns  ;  and  like  them,  have  been  added  to, 
and  improved  by  frequent  importations  since ;  until 
now,  probably  our  country  will  show  some  specimens 
equal  m  quality  to  their  high  general  character  in 


K  UK AL  ARCHITECTURE. 


51 


the  land  of  their  nativity.  Unlike  the  short-horn,  the 
Devon  is  a  much  lighter  animal,  with  a  like  fine  ex- 
pression of  countenance  ;  an  elevated  horn  ;  more  agile 
in  form:  yet  finer  in  limb  and  bone;  a  deep  mahog- 
any-red in  color ;  and  of  a  grace,  and  beauty  in  figure 
excelled  by  no  other  breed  whatever.  The  Devon  cow 
is  usually  a  good  milker,  for  her  size  ;  of  quiet  temper ; 
docile  in  her  habits ;  a  quick  feeder ;  and  a  most  satis- 
factory animal  in  all  particulars.  From  the  Devons, 
spring  those  beautifully-matched  red  working-oxen, 
so  much  admired  in  our  eastern  states ;  the  superiors 
to  which,  in  kindness,  docility,  endurance,  quickness, 
and  honesty  of  labor,  no  country  can  produce.  In  the 
quality  of  their  beef,  they  are  unrivaled  by  any  breed 
of  cattle  in  the  United  States  ;  but  in  their  early  matu- 
rity for  that  purpose,  are  not  equal  to  the  short-horns. 

Several  beautiful  herds  of  Devons  are  to  be  found 
in  New  York,  in  Maryland,  in  Connecticut,  and  in 
Massachusetts  ;  and  some  few  in  other  states,  where  they 
can  be  obtained  by  those  who  wish  to  purchase. 

Another  branch  of  domestic  stock  should  also  excite 
the  attention  of  those  who  wish  to  embellish  their 
grounds,  as  well  as  to  improve  the  quality  of  their 
mutton — obtaining,  withal,  a  fleece  of  valuable  wool. 
These  are  the  Southdown,  and  the  Cotswold,  Leicester, 
or  other  improved  breeds  of  long-wooled  sheep.  There 
is  no  more  peaceful,  or  beautiful  small  animal  to  be 
seen  in  an  open  park,  or  pleasure  ground,  or  in  the 
paddock  of  a  farm,  than  these. 

The  Southdown,  is  a  fine,  compact,  and  solid  sheep, 

with  dark  face  and  legs  ;  quiet  in  its  habits,  mild  in 

disposition,  of  a  medium  quality,  and  medium  weight- 

of  fleece;  and  yielding  a  kind  of  mutton  unsurpassed 

in  flavor  and  delicacv — equal,  in  the  estimation  of  many, 
72 


352 


RU1SA.L  ARCHITECTURE. 


to  the  finest  venison.  The  carcass  of  a  Southdown 
wether,  when  well  fatted,  is  large,  weighing,  at  two  to 
three  years  old,  a  hundred  to  a  hundred  and  twenty 
pounds.  The  ewe  is  a  prolific  breeder,  and  a  good 
nurse.  They  are  exceedingly  hardy,  and  will  thrive 
equally  well  in  all  climates,  and  on  all  our  soils,  where 
they  can  live.  There  is  no  other  variety  of  sheep  which 
has  been  bred  to  that  high  degree  of  perfection,  in  Eng« 
land.  The  great  Southdown  breeder,  Mr.  Webb,  of 
Batraham,  has  often  received  as  high  as  fifty,  to  one 
hundred  guineas,  in  a  season,  for  the  use  of  a  single 
ram.  Such  prices  show  the  estimation  in  which  the 
best  Southclowns  are  held  there,  as  well  as  their  great 
popularity  among  the  English  farmers. 

The  Cotswold,  New  Oxford,  and  Leicester  sheep,  of 
the  long-wooled  variety,  are  also  highly  esteemed,  in 
the  same  capacity  as  the  Southdowns. 

They  are  large  ;  not  so  compactly  built  as  the  South- 
downs  ;  producing  a  heavy  fleece  of  long  wool,  mostly 
used  for  combing,  and  making  into  worsted  stuffs. 
They  are  scarcely  so  hardy,  either,  as  the  Southdowns, 
nor  are  they  so  prolific.  Still,  they  have  many  excel- 
lent qualities ;  and  although  their  mutton  has  not  the 
fine  grain,  nor  delicacy,  of  the  other,  it  is  of  enormous 
weight,  when  well  fattened,  and  a  most  profitable 
carcass.  It  has  sometimes  reached  a  weight  of  two 
hundred  pounds,  when  dressed.  They  are  gentle,  and 
quiet  in  their  habits  ;  white  in  the  face  and  legs  ;  and 
show  a  fine  and  stately  contrast  to  the  Southdowns,  in 
their  increased  size,  and  breadth  of  figure.  They  re- 
quire, also,  a  somewhat  richer  pasture ;  but  will  thrive 
on  any  good  soil,  yielding  sweet  grasses. 

That  the  keeping  of  choice  breeds  of  animals,  and 
the  cultivation  of  a  high  taste  for  them,  is  no  vulga? 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


matter,  with  even  the  most  exalted  intellects,  and  of 
men  occupying  the  most  honorable  stations  in  the  state, 
and  in  society ;  and  that  they  concern  the  retired  gen- 
tleman, as  well  as  the  practical  farmer,  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  refer  to  the  many  prominent  examples  in  Great 
Britain,  and  our  own  country,  within  the  last  fifty 
years. 

The  most  distinguished  noblemen  of  England,  and 
Scotland,  have  long  bred  the  finest  of  cattle,  and  em- 
bellished their  home  parks  with  them.  The  late  Earl 
Spencer,  one  of  the  great  patrons  of  agricultural  im- 
provement in  England,  at  his  death  owned  a  herd  of 
two  hundred  of  the  highest  bred  short-horns,  which  he 
kept  on  his  home  farm,  at  "Wiseton.  The  Dukes  of 
Bedford,  for  the  last  century  and  a  half,  have  made 
extraordinary  exertions  to  improve  their  several  breeds 
of  cattle.  The  late  Earl  of  Leicester,  better  known, 
perhaps,  as  Mr.  Coke,  of  Holkham,  and  the  most  cele- 
brated farmer  of  his  time,  has  been  long  identified 
with  his  large  and  select  herds  of  Devons,  and  his 
flocks  of  Southdowns.  The  Duke  of  Bichmond  has 
his  great  park  at  Goodwood  stocked  with  the  finest 
Southdowns,  Short-horns,  and  Devons.  Brince  Albert, 
even,  has  caught  the  infection  of  such  liberal  and  use- 
ful example,  and  the  royal  park  at  Windsor  is  tenanted 
with  the  finest  farm  stock,  of  many  kinds ;  and  he  is 
a  constant  competitor  at  the  great  Smithfield  cattle 
shows,  annually  held  in  London.  Besides  these,  hun- 
dreds of  the  nobility,  and  wealthy  country  gentlemen 
of  Great  Britain,  every  year  compete  with  the  intelli- 
gent farmers,  in  their  exhibitions  of  cattle,  at  the 


354 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


royal  and  provincial  shows,  in  England,  Scotland  and 
Ireland. 

In  the  United  States,  Washington  was  a  great  pro- 
moter of  improvement  in  farm  stock,  and  introduced 
on  to  his  broad  estate,  at  Mount  Vernon,  many  foreign 
animals,  which  he  had  sent  out  to  him  at  great  expense; 
and  it  was  his  pride  to  show  his  numerous  and  distin- 
guished guests,  his  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  and  pigs. 
Henry  Clay,  of  Kentucky,  was  among  the  first  pro- 
moters of  the  improvement  of  domestic  animals  in  the 
fertile  region,  of  which  his  own  favorite  Ashland  is  the 
center ;  and  to  his  continued  efforts  in  the  breeding  of 
the  finest  short-horns,  and  mules,  is  the  state  of  Ken- 
tucky greatly  indebted  for  its  reputation  in  these  de- 
scriptions of  stock.  Daniel  "Webster  has  introduced, 
on  to  his  estate,  at  Marshfield,  the  finest  cattle,  and 
sheep  suited  to  its  soil  and  climate,  and  takes  much 
pride  in  showing  their  good  qualities.  Indeed,  we 
have  never  heard  either  of  these  two  last  remarkable 
men  more  eloquent,  than  when  discoursing  of -their 
cattle,  and  of  their  pleasure  in  ranging  over  their  pas- 
tures, and  examining  their  herds  and  flocks.  They 
have  both  been  importers  of  stock,  and  liberal  in  their 
dissemination  anions;  their  agricultural  friends  and 
neighbors.  Public-spirited,  patriotic  men,  in  almost 
every  one  of  our  states,  have  either  imported  from 
Europe,  or  drawn  from  a  distance  in  their  own  coun. 
try,  choice  animals,  to  stock  their  own  estates,  and 
bred  them  for  the  improvement  of  their  several  neigh- 
borhoods. Merchants,  and  generous  men  of  other  pro- 
fessions, have  shown  great  liberality,  and  the  finest 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


355 


taste,  in  importing,  rearing,  and  distributing  over  the 
country  the  best  breeds  of  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  and 
pigs.  Their  own  beautiful  home  grounds  are  embel- 
lished with  taem,  in  a  style  that  all  the  dumb  stat- 
uary in  existence  can  not  equal  in  interest  —  models 
of  grace,  and  beauty,  and  utility,  which  are  in  vain 
sought  among  the  sculpture,  or  paintings  of  ancient 
time.  And  many  a  plain  and  unpretending  farmer  of 
our  country,  emulating  such  laudable  examples,  now 
shows  in  his  luxuriant  pastures,  and  well-filled  barns 
and  stables,  the  choicest  specimens  of  imported  stock; 
and  their  prizes,  won  at  the  cattle  shows,  are  the  laud- 
able pride  of  themselves,  and  their  families. 

Nor  is  this  laudable  taste,  confined  to  men  alone. 
Females  of  the  highest  worth,  and  domestic  example, 
both  abroad  and  at  home,  cultivate  a  love  for  such 
objects,  and  take  much  interest  in  the  welfare  of  their 
farm  stock.  "We  were  at  the  annual  state  cattle  show, 
in  one  of  our  large  states,  but  a  short  time  since,  and 
in  loitering  about  the  cattle  quarter  of  the  grounds, 
met  a  lady  of  our  acquaintance,  with  a  party  of  her 
female  friends,  on  a  tour  of  inspection  among  the  beau- 
tiful short-horns,  and  Devons,  and  the  select  varieties 
of  sheep.  She  was  the  daughter  of  a  distinguished 
statesman,  who  was  also  a  large  farmer,  and  a  patron 
of  great  liberality,  in  the  promotion  of  fine  stock  in  his 
own  state.  She  was  bred  upon  the  farm,  and,  to  rare 
accomplishments  in  education,  was  possessed  of  a  deep 
love  for  all  rural  objects  ;  and  in  the  stock  of  the  farm 
she  took  a  peculiar  interest.  Her  husband  was  an 
extensive  farmer,  and  a  noted  breeder  of  fine  animals* 


356 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE  • 


She  had  her  own  farm,  too,  and  cattle  upon  it,  equally 
as  choice  as  his,  in  her  own  right ;  and  they  were  both 
competitors  at  the  annual  exhibitions.  Introduced  to 
her  friends,  at  her  request,  we  accompanied  them  in 
their  round  of  inspection.  There  wTere  the  beautiful 
cows,  and  the  younger  cattle,  and  the  sheep  —  all 
noticed,  criticised,  and  remarked  upon ;  and  with  a 
judgment,  too,  in  their  various  properties,  which  con- 
vinced us  of  her  sound  knowledge  of  their  physiology, 
and  good  qualities,  which  she  explained  to  her  asso- 
ciates with  all  the  familiarity  that  she  would  a  tam- 
bouring frame,  or  a  piece  of  embroidery.  There  was 
no  squeamish  fastidiousness  ;  no  affectation  of  prudery, 
in  this ;  but  all  natural  as  the  pure  flow  of  admiration 
in  a  well-bred  lady  could  be.  At  her  most  comfort- 
able, and  hospitable  residence,  afterward,  she  showed 
us,  with  pride,  the  several  cups,  and  other  articles  of 
plate,  which  her  family  had  won  as  prizes,  at  the  agri- 
cultural exhibitions;  and  which  she  intended  to  pre- 
serve, as  heir-looms  to  her  children.  This  is  not  a 
solitary  example ;  yet,  a  too  rare  one,  among  our  fair 
countrywomen.  Such  a  spirit  is  contagious,  and  we 
witness  with  real  satisfaction,  their  growing  taste  in 
such  laudable  sources  of  enjoyment :  contrary  to  the 
parvenue  affectation  of  a  vast  many  otherwise  sensible 
and  accomplished  females  of  our  cities  and  towns  — 
comprising  even  the  wives  and  daughters  of  farmers, 
too  —  who  can  saunter  among  the  not  over  select,  and 
equivocal  representations,  among  the  paintings  and 
statuary  of  our  public  galleries  ;  and  descant  with  en- 
tire freedom,  on  the  various  attitudes,  and  artistical 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE.  357 

merits  of  the  works  before  them;  or  gaze  with  appa- 
rent admiration  upon  the  brazen  pirouettes  of  a  public 
daneLig  girl,  amid  al1  the  equivoque  of  a  crowded 
theater ;  and  yet,  whose  delicacy  is  shocked  at  the  ex- 
hibitions of  a  cattle  show !  Such  females  as  we  have 
noticed,  can  admire  the  living,  moving  beauty  of  ani- 
mal life,  with  the  natural  and  easy  grace  of  purity 
itself,  and  without  the  slightest  suspicion  of  a  stain  of 
vulgarity.  From,  the  bottom  of  our  heart,  we  trust 
that  a  reformation  is  at  work  among  our  American 
vwomen,  in  the  promotion  pf  a  taste,  and  not  only  a 
taste,  but  a  genuine  love  of  things  connected  with  coun- 
try life.  It  was  not  so,  with  the  mothers,  and  the 
wives,  of  the  stern  and  earnest  men,  who  laid  the 
foundations  of  their  country's  freedom  and  greatness 
They  were  women  of  soul,  character,  and  stamina; 
who  grappled  with  the  realities  of  life,  in  their  labors ; 
and  enjoyed  its  pleasures  with  truth  and  honesty.  This 
over-nice,  mincing  delicacy,  and  sentimentality,  in 
which  their  grand-daughters  indulge,  is  but  the  off- 
throw  of  the  boarding-school,  the  novelist,  and  the 
prucle  —  mere  u  leather  and  prunella/5  Such  remarks 
may  be  thought  to  lie  beyond  the  line  of  our  immediate 
labor.  But  in  the  discussion  of  the  collateral  subjects 
which  have  a  bearing  upon  country  life  and  residence, 
we  incline  to  make  a  clean  breast  of  it,  and  drop  such 
incidental  remark  as  may  tend  to  promote  the  enjoy- 
ment, as  well  as  instruction,  of  those  whose  sphere  of 
action,  and  whose  choice  in  life  is  amid  the  pure  atmos- 
phere, and  the  pure  pleasures  of  the  country. 


58 


RUKAL  ARCHITECTURE 


WATER-FOWLS. 


If  a  stream  flow  through  the  grounds,  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  house ;  or  a  pond,  or  a  small  lake  be  near,  a 
few  varieties  of  choice  water-fowls  may  be  kept,  adding 
much  to  the  interest  and  amusement  of  the  family. 
Many  of  the  English  nobility,  and  gentry,  keep  swans 
for  such  purpose.  They  are  esteemed  a  bird  of  much 
grace  and  beauty,  although  silent,  and  of  shy,  unsocial 
habits,  and  not  prolific  in  the  production  of  their  young. 
For  such  purposes  as  they  are  kept  in  England,  the 
great  African  goose,  resembling  the  China,  but  nearly  ' 
double  in  size,  is  a  preferable  substitute  in  this  country. 
It  is  a  more  beautiful  bird  in  its  plumage ;  equally 
graceful  in  the  water ;  social,  and  gentle  in  its  habits  ; 
breeding  with  facility,  and  agreeable  in  its  voice,  par- 
ticularly at  a  little  distance.  The  African  goose  will 
attain  a  weight  of  twenty  to  twenty-five  pounds.  Its 
body  is  finely  formed,  heavily  feathered,  and  its  flesh 
is  of  delicate  flavor.  The  top  of  the  head,  and  the 
back  of  its  neck,  which  is  long,  high,  and  beautifully 
arched,  is  a  dark  brown ;  its  bill  black,  with  a  high 
protuberance,  or  knob,  at  its  junction  with  the  head  :  a 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


359 


dark  hazel  eye,  with  a  golden  ring  around  it;  the 
under  part  of  the  head  and  neck,  a  soft  ash- color ;  and 
a  heavy  dewlap  at  the  throat.  Its  legs  and  feet  are 
orange-colored  ;  and  its  belly  white.  Taken  altogether, 
a  noble  and  majestic  bird. 


CHINA  GOOSE. 


The  small  brown  China  goose  is  another  variety 
which  may  be  introduced.  She  is  nearly  the  color  of 
the  African,  but  darker  ;  has  the  same  black  bill,  and 
high  protuberance  on  it,  but  without  the  dewlap  under 
the  throat ;  and  has  black  legs  and  feet.  She  is  only 
half  the  size  of  the  other ;  is  a  more  prolific  layer, — 
frequently  laying  three  or  four  clutches  of  eggs  in  a 
year ;  has  the  same  character  of  voice ;  an  equally 
high,  arched  neck,  and  is  quite  as  graceful  in  the  water. 
The  neck  of  the  goose  in  the  cut  should  be  one-thiid 
longer,  to  be  an  accurate  likeness. 


360 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


The  White  China  is  another  variety,  in  size  and  shape 
like  the  last,  but  perfectly  white,  with  an  orange  col  - 
ored bill  and  legs.  Indeed,  no  swan  can  be  more 
beautiful  than  this,  which  is  of  the  same  pure,  clean 
plumage,  and,  in  its  habits  and  docility,  equally  a 
favorite  with  the  others  we  have  described. 

The  Bremen  goose  is  still  another  variety,  of  about 
the  same  size  as  the  African,  but  in  shape  and  appear- 
ance, not  unlike  the  common  goose,  except  in  color, 
which  is  pure  white.  Young  geese  of  this  breed,  at 
nine  months  old,  frequently  weigh  twenty  pounds, 
alive.  We  have  had  them  of  that  weight,  and  for  the 
table,  none  can  be  finer.  They  are  equally  prolific  as 
the  common  goose,  but,  as  a  thing  of  ornament,  are  far 
behind  the  African  and  the  China.  Still,  they  are  a 
stately  bird,  and  an  acquisition  to  any  grounds  where 
water-fowls  are  a  subject  of  interest,  convenience,  or 
profit. 

All  these  birds  are  more  domestic,  if  possible,  than 
the  common  goose,  and  we  have  found  them  less 
troublesome,  not  inclined  to  wander  abroad,  and,  in. 
all  the  qualities  of  such  a  bird,  far  more  agreeable. 
"We  have  long  kept  them,  and  without  their  presence, 
should  consider  our  grounds  as  incomplete,  in  one  ot 
the  most  attractive  features  of  animated  life. 

It  is  too  much  a  fault  of  our  farming  population,  that 
they  do  not  pay  sufficient  attention  to  many  little  things 
which  would  render  their  homes  more  interesting,  both 
to  themselves,  if  they  would  only  think  so,  and  to  their 
families,  most  certainly.  If  parents  have  no  taste 
for  such  objects  as  we  have  recommended,  or  even 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


361 


others  moro  common,  they  should  encourage  their  chil 
dren  in  the  love  of  them,  and  furnish  them  for  their 
amusement.  The  very  soul  of  a  farmer's  home  is  to 
cluster  every  thing  about  it  which  shall  make  it  attract- 
ive, and  speak  out  the  character  of  the  country,  and  of 
his  occupation,  in  its  full  extent.  Herds  and  flocks  upon 
the  farm  are  a  matter  of  course  ;  and  so  are  the  horses, 
and  the  pigs.  But  there  are  other  things,  quite  as  in- 
dicative of  household  abundance,  and  domestic  enjoy- 
ment. The  pigeons,  and  the  poultry  of  all  kinds,  and 
perhaps  the  rabbit  warren,  which  are  chiefly  in  charge 
of  the  good  housewife,  and  her  daughters,  and  the 
younger  boys,  show  out  the  domestic  feeling  and  be- 
nevolence of  character  in  the  family,  not  to  be  mis- 
taken. It  is  a  sign  of  enjoyment,  of  domestic  content- 
ment, and  of  mental  cultivation,  even,  that  will  lead  to 
something  higher,  and  more  valuable  in  after  life  ;  and 
it  is  in  such  light  that  it  becomes  an  absolute  duty  of 
the  farmer  who  seeks  the  improvement  and  education, 
of  his  children,  to  provide  them  with  all  these  little 
objects,  to  engage  their  leisure  hours  and  promote  their 
happiness.  How  different  a  home  like  this  from  one 
— which  is,  really,  not  a  home — where  no  attention  is 
paid  to  such  minor  attractions  ;  where  a  few  starve- 
ling things,  by  way  of  geese,  perhaps,  picked  half  a 
dozen  times  a  year,  to  within  an  inch  of  their  lives, 
mope  about  the  dirty  premises,  making  their  nightly 
sittings  in  the  door  yard,  if  the  house  has  one  ;  a  stray 
turkey,  or  two,  running,  from  fear  of  the  untutored 
dogs,  into  the  nearest  wood,  in  the  spring,  to  make 
their  rude  nests,  and  bring  out  half  a  clutch  of  young. 


362 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


and  creeping  about  the  fields  through  the  summer  with 
a  chicken  or  two,  which  the  foxes,  or  other  vermin, 
have  spared,  and  then  dogged  down  in  the  winter,  to 
provide  a  half  got-up  Christmas-dinner ;  and  the  hens 
about  the  open  buildings  all  the  year,  committing  their 
nuisances  in  every  possible  way  !  There  need  be  no 
surer  indication  than  this,  of  the  utter  hopelessness  of 
progress  for  good,  in  such  a  family. 


A  WOKD  ABOUT  DOGS. 

We  always  loved  a  dog ;  and  it  almost  broke  our 
little  heart,  when  but  a  trudging  schoolboy,  in  our  first 
jacket-and-trowsers,  our  kind  mother  made  us  take  back 
the  young  puppy  that  had  hardly  got  its  eyes  open, 
which  we  one  day  brought  home,  to  be  kept  until  it 
was  fit  to  be  taken  from  its  natural  nurse.  We  are 
now  among  the  boys,  John,  Tom,  and  Harry ;  and  in- 
tend to  give  them  the  benefit  of  our  own  experience  in 
this  line,  as  well  as  to  say  a  few  words  to  the  elder 
brothers, —  and  fathers,  even, —  if  they  do  not  turn  up 
their  noses  in  contempt  of  our  instruction,  on  a  subject 
so  much  beneath  their  notice. 

"We  say  that  we  love  dogs :  not  all  dogs,  however* 
But  we  love  some  dogs  —  of  the  right  breeds.  There 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


36b 


is  probably  no  other  civilized  country  so  dog-ridden  as 
this,  both  in 

"  Mongrel,  puppy,  whelp,  and  hound, 
And  curs  of  low  degree." 

Goldsmith,  kind  man  that  he  was,  must  have  been  a 
capital  judge  of  dogs,  like  many  other  poetical  gentle- 
men. Still,  other  men  than  poets  are  sometimes  good 
judges,  and  great  lovers  of  dogs ;  but  the  mass  of  peo- 
ple are  quite  as  well  satisfied  with  one  kind  of  dog  as 
with  another,  so  that  it  be  a  dog ;  and  they  too  often 
indulge  in  their  companionship,  much  to  the  annoy- 
ance of  good  neighborhood,  good  morals,  and,  indeed, 
of  propriety,  thrift,  and  common  justice.  Of  all  these 
we  have  nothing  to  say — here,  at  least.  Ours  is  a 
"free  country"— for  dogs,  if  for  nothing  else.  Nor 
shall  we  discuss  the  various  qualities,  or  the  different 
breeds  of  dogs  for  sporting  purposes.  "We  never  go 
out  shooting  ;  nor  do  we  take  a  hunt  —  having  no  taste 
that  way.  Perhaps  in  this  we  are  to  be  pitied ;  but 
we  are  content  as  it  is.  Therefore  we  shall  let  the 
hounds,  and  pointers,  and  setters,  the  springers,  and 
the  land  and  the  water  spaniels,  all  alone.  The  mas- 
tiffs, and  the  bull  dogs,  too,  we  shall  leave  to  those  who 
like  them.  The  poodle,  and  the  little  lap-dog  of  other 
kinds,  also,  we  shall  turn  over  to  the  kindness  of  those 
who — we  are  sorry  for  them,  in  having  nothing  better 
to  interest  themselves  about  —  take  a  pleasure  in  keep- 
ing and  tending  them. 

We  want  to  mix  in  a  little  usefulness^  as  well  as 
amusement,  in  the  way  of  a  dog ;  and  after  a  whole 
life,  thus  far,  of  dog  companionship,  and  the  trial  ol 


364 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


pretty  much  every  thing  in  the  line  of  a  dog  —  from 
the  great  Newfoundland,  of  a  hundred  pounds  weight, 
down  to  the  squeaking  little  whiffet,  of  six — we  have, 
for  many  years  past,  settled  down  into  the  practical 
belief  that  the  small  ratting  terrier  is  the  only  one, 
except  the  shepherd  dog,  we  care  to  keep  ;  and  of  these, 
chiefly,  we  shall  speak. 

There  are  many  varieties  of  the  Terrier.  Some  are 
large,  weighing  forty  or  fifty  pounds,  rough-haired,  and 
savage  looking.  There  is  the  bull-terrier,  of  less  size, 
not  a  kindly,  well-disposed  creature  to  strangers ;  but 
irrascibly  inclined,  and  unamiable  in  his  deportment  j 
still  useful  as  a  watch-dog,  and  a  determined  enemy  to 
all  vermin,  whatever.  Then,  again,  are  the  small  rat- 
terriers,  as  they  are  termed,  weighing  from  a  dozen  to 
twenty  pounds;  some  with  rough,  long,  wiry  hair;  a 
fierce,  whiskered  muzzle  ;  of  prodigious  strength  for 
their  size  ;  wonderful  instinct  and  sagacity ;  kind  in 
temper;  and  possessing  valuable  qualities,  bating  a 
lack  of  beauty  in  appearance.  They  are  of  all  colors, 
but  are  generally  uniform  in  their  color,  whatever  it 
be.  Another  kind,  still,  is  the  smooth  terrier,  of  the 
same  sizes  as  the  last ;  a  very  pretty  dog  indeed  ;  with 
a  kinder  disposition  to  mankind  ;  yet  equally  destruct- 
ive to  vermin,  and  watchful  to  the  premises  w^hich  they 
inhabit,  or  of  whatever  else  is  put  under  their  charge. 
The  fidelity  of  the  terrier  to  his  master  is  wonderful ; 
equal,  if  not  superior  to  any  other  dog  whatever.  In 
courage  and  perseverance,  in  hardihood,  and  feats  of 
daring,  he  has  hardly  an  equal ;  and  in  general  useful 
nes®<)  W  dog  can  compare  with  him, 


BUBAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


865 


THE  SMOOTH  TERR  IKK. 


Sir  Walter  Scott,  who  was  a  great  friend  to  dogs,  as 
well  as  a  nice  and  critical  judge  of  their  qualities,  used 
to  tell  this  story : — When  a  young  man,  first  attend- 
ing, as  an  advocate,  the  Jedburgh  assizes,  a  notorious 
burglar  engaged  Sir  Walter  to  defend  him  on  his  trial 
for  housebreaking  in  the  neighborhood.  The  case  was 
a  hard  one  ;  the  proof  direct  and  conclusive  ;  and  no 
ingenuity  of  the  defence  could  avoid  the  conviction  ot 
the  culprit.  The  matter  was  settled  beyond  redemp- 
tion ;  and  before  he  left  for  his  imprisonment,  or  trans- 
portation, the  thief  requested  Sir  Walter  to  come  into 
his  cell.  On  meeting,  the  fellow  frankly  told  h:s  coun- 
sel that  he  felt  very  grateful  to  him  for  his  efforts  to 
clear  him  ;  that  he  had  done  the  best  he  could ;  but 
the  proof  was  too  palpable  against  him.  He  would 
gladly  reward  Sir  Walter  for  his  services  ;  but  he  bad 


366 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


no  money,  and  could  only  give  him  a  piece  of  advice, 
which  might,  perhaps,  be  serviceable  hereafter.  Sir 
"Walter  heard  him,  no  doubt,  with  some  regret  at  losing 
his  fee  ;  but  concluding  to  hear  what  he  had  to  say. 
"  You  are  a  housekeeper,  Mr.  Scott.  For  security  to 
your  doors,  use  nothing  but  a  common  lock — if  rusty 
and  old,  no  matter ;  they  are  quite  as  hard  to  pick  as 
any  others.  (Neither  Chubbs'  nor  Hobbs'  non-picTcable 
locks  were  then  invented.)  Then  provide  yourself  with 
a  small  rat  terrier,  and  keep  him  in  your  house  at  night. 
There  is  no  safety  in  a  mastiff,  or  bull-dog,  or  in  a 
large  dog  of  any  breed.  They  can  always  be  appeased 
and  quieted,  and  burglars  understand  them  ;  but  a  ter 
rier  can  neither  be  terrified  nor  silenced  ;  nor  do  we 
attempt  to  break  in  where  one  is  known  to  be  kept." 
Sir  Walter  heeded  the  advice,  and,  in  his  housekeeping 
experience,  afterward,  confirmed  the  good  qualities  of 
the  terrier,  as  related  to  him  by  the  burglar.  He  also 
commemorated  the  conversation  by  the  following  not 
exceedingly  poetical  couplet : 

"  A  terrier  dog  and  a  rusty  key, 
Was  Walter  Scott's  first  Jedburgh  fee.'* 

The  terrier  has  a  perfect,  thorough,  unappeasable 
instinct  for,  and  hatred  to  all  kinds  of  vermin.  Tie 
takes  to  rats  and  mice  as  naturally  as  a  cat.  He  will 
scent  out  their  haunts  and  burrows.  He  will  lie  for 
hours  by  their  places  of  passage,  and  point  them  with 
the  sagacity  of  a  pointer  at  a  bird.  He  is  as  quick  as 
lightning,  in  pouncing  upon  them,  when  in  sight,  and 
rarely  misses  them  when  he  springs.    A  single  bite 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


367 


setLes  the  matter;  and  where  there  are  several  rats 
found  together,  a  dog  will  frequently  dispatch  half  a 
dozen  of  them,  before  they  can  get  twenty  feet  from 
him.  A  dog  of  our  own  has  killed  that  number,  before 
they  could  get  across  the  stable  floor.  In  the  grain 
field,  wTith  the  harvesters,  a  terrier  will  catch  hundreds 
of  field-mice  in  a  day ;  or,  in  the  hay  field,  he  is 
equally  destructive.  With  a  wToodchuck,  a  raccoon,  or 
anything  of  their  size  —  even  a  skunk,  which  many 
dogs  avoid  —  he  engages,  with  the  same  readiness  that 
he  will  a  rat.  The  night  is  no  bar  to  his  vigils.  He 
has  the  sight  of  an  owl,  in  the  dark.  Minks,  and 
weasels,  are  his  aversion,  as  much  as  other  vermin. 
He  will  follow  the  first  into  the  water,  till  he  exhausts 
him  with  diving,  and  overtakes  him  in  swimming. 
He  is  a  hunter,  too.  He  will  tree  a  sqirrel,  or  a  rac- 
coon, as  readily  as  the  best  of  sporting  dogs.  He  will 
catch,  and  hold  a  pig,  or  anything  not  too  large  or 
heavy  for  him.  lie  will  lie  down  on  your  garment, 
and  watch  it  for  hours  ;  or  by  anything  else  left  in  his 
charge.  He  will  play  with  the  children,  and  share 
their  sports  as  joyfully  as  a  dumb  creature  can  do ; 
and  nothing  can  be  more  affectionate,  kind,  and  gen- 
tle among  them.  He  is  cleanly,  honest,  and  seldom 
addicted  to  tricks  of  any  kind. 

We  prefer  the  high-bred,  smooth,  English  terrier,  to 
any  other  variety.  They  are  rather  more  gentle  in 
temper,  and  very  much  handsomer  in  appearance,  than 
the  rough-haired  kind  ;  but  perhaps  no  better  in  their 
useful  qualities.  We  have  kept  them  for  years  ;  w« 
ke<^  t^pip  now ;  and  no  reasonable  inducement  would 


M8 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


let  us  part  with  them.  A  year  or  two  ago,  having 
accidentally  lost  our  farm  terrier,  and  nothing  remain- 
ing on  the  place  but  our  shepherd  dog,  the  buildings 
soon  swarmed  with  rats.  They  were  in,  and  about 
everything.  During  the  winter,  the  men  who  tended 
the  horses,  and  cattle,  at  their  nightly  rounds  of  inspec- 
tion, before  going  to  bed,  would  kill,  with  their  clubs, 
three  or  four,  in  the  barns  and  stables,  every  evening. 
But  still  the  rats  increased,  and  they  became  unen- 
durable. They  got  into  the  grain-mows,  where  they 
burrowed,  and  brought  forth  with  a  fecundity  second 
only  to  the  frogs  of  Egypt.  They  gnawed  into  the 
granaries.  They  dug  into  the  dairy.  They  entered 
the  meat  barrels.  They  carried  off  the  eggs  from  the 
hen-nests.  They  stole  away,  and  devoured,  the  young 
ducks,  and  chickens.  They  literally  came  into  the 
" kneading  troughs"  of  the  kitchen.  Oh!  the  rats 
were  intolerable !  Traps  were  no  use.  Arsenic  was 
innocuous  —  they  would  n't  touch  it.  Opportunity 
favored  us,  and  we  got  two  high-bred,  smooth,  English 
terriers  —  a  dog,  and  a  slut.  Then  commenced  such  a 
slaughter  as  we  seldom  see.  The  rats  had  got  bold. 
The  clogs  caught  them  daily  by  dozens,  as  they  came 
out  from  their  haunts,  fearless  of  evil,  as  before.  As 
they  grew  more  shy,  their  holes  were  watched,  and 
every  morning  dead  rats  were  found  about  the  prem- 
ises. The  dogs,  during  the  day,  pointed  out  their 
holes.  Planks  were  removed,  nests  were  found,  and 
the  rats,  young  and  old,  killed,  instanter.  Hundreds 
on  hundreds  were  slaughtered,  in  the  first  few  weeks ; 
and  in  a  short  time,  the  place  was  mostly  rid  of  them, 


KTTRAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


369 


until  enough  only  are  left  to  keep  the  clogs  ;iin  play," 
and  to  show  that  in  sjrite  of  all  precaution,  they  will 
harbor  wherever  there  is  a  thing  to  eat,  and  a  possible 
place  of  covert  for  them  to  burrow. 

To  have  the  terrier  in  full  perfection,  it  is  important 
that  the  breed  be  pure.  We  are  so  prone  to  mix  up 
everything  we  get,  in  this  country,  that  it  is  sometimes 
difficult  to  get  anything  exactly  as  it  should  be ;  but  a 
little  care  will  provide  us,  in  this  particular.  He 
should  be  properly  trained,  too,  when  young.  That  is, 
to  mind  what  is  said  to  him.  His  intelligence  will  be 
equal  to  all  your  wants  in  the  dog-line ;  but  he  should 
not  be  fooled  with.  His  instincts  are  sure.  And, 
with  a  good  education,  the  terrier  will  prove  all  you 
need  in  a  farm,  and  a  watch- dog.  We  speak  from 
long  experience,  and  observation. 

The  shepherd  dog  is  another  useful  —  almost  indis- 
pensable—  creature,  on  the  sheep,  or  dairy  farm. 
This  cut  is  an  accurate  representation  of  the  finest  of 
the  breed.  To  the  flock-master,  he  saves  a  world  of 
labor,  in  driving  and  gathering  the  flocks  together,  or 
from  one  field,  or  place,  to  another.  To  the  sheep- 
drover,  also,  he  is  worth  a  man,  at  least ;  and  in  many 
cases,  can  do  with  a  flock  what  a  man  can  not  do.  But 
for  this  labor,  he  requires  training,  and  a  strict,  thor- 
ough education,  by  those  who  know  how  to  do  it.  He 
is  a  peaceable,  quiet  creature.;  good  for  little  else  than 
driving,  and  on  a  stock  farm  will  save  fifty  times  his 
cost  and  keeping,  every  year.  He  is  a  reasonably 
o-ood  watch-clo2\  also  ;  but  he  has  neither  the  instinct, 
nor  sagacity  of  the  terrier,  in  that  duty.    To  keep  him 


370 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


THE  SHEPHERD  DGvl. 


in  his  best  estate,  for  bis  own  peculiar  work,  he  should 
not  be  troubled  with  other  labors,  as  it  distracts  his 
attention  from  his  peculiar  duties.  We  had  a  remark- 
ably good  dog,  of  this  kind,  a  few  years  since.  He 
was  worth  the  services  of  a  stout  boy,  in  bringing  up 
the  cattle,  and  sheep,  until  an  idle  boy  or  two,  in  the 
neighborhood,  decoyed  him  out  in  "cooning,"  a  few 
nights  during  one.  autumn  —  in  which  he  proved  a 
most  capital  hunter;  and  after  that,  he  became  worth- 
less, as  a  cattle  dog.  He  was  always  rummaging  around 
among  the  trees,  barking  at  birds,  squirrels,  or  any 
live  thing  that  he  could  find  ;  and  no  man  could  coax 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


371 


him  back  to  the  dull  routine  of  his  duty.  A  shepherd 
dog  should  never  go  a-hunting. 

We  would  not  be  understood  as  condemning  every- 
thing else,  excepting  the  dogs  we  have  named,  for  farm 
use.  The  Newfoundland,  and  the  mastiff,  are  enor- 
mously large  dogs,  and  possessed  of  some  noble  quali- 
ties. They  have  performed  feats  of  sagacity  and  fidel- 
ity which  have  attracted  universal  admiration;  but, 
three  to  one,  if  you  have  them  on  your  farm,  they  will 
kill  every  sheep  upon  it ;  and  their  watchfulness  is  no 
greater  than  that  of  the  shepherd  dog,  or  the  terrier. 
We  have  spoken  of  such  as  we  have  entire  confidence 
in,  and  such  as  we  consider  the  best  for  useful  service. 
There  are  some  kinds  of  cur  dog  that  are  useful.  They 
are  of  no  hreed  at  all,  to  be  sure ;  but  have,  now  and 
then,  good  qualities ;  and  when  nothing  better  can  be 
got,  they  will  do  for  a  make-shift.  But  as  a  rule,  we 
would  be  equally  particular  in  the  hreed  of  our  dog, 
as  wre  would  in  the  breed  of  our  cattle,  or  sheep. 
There  are  altogether  too  many  dogs  kept,  in  the  coun- 
try, and  most  usually  by  a  class  of  people  who  have 
no  need  of  them,  and  which  prove  only  a  nuisance  to 
•the  neighborhood,  and  a  destruction  to  the  goods  of 
others.  Thousands  of  useful  sheep  are  annually  de- 
stined by  them ;  and  in  some  regions  of  the  country, 
they  can  not  be  kept,  by  reason  of  their  destruction  by 
worthless  dogs,  which  are  owned  by  the  disorderly 
people  about  them.  In  a  western  state,  some  time 
ago,  in  conversing  with  a  large  farmer,  who  had  a 
flock  of  perhaps  a  hundred  sheep  running  in  one  of 
his  pastures,  and  who  also  kept  a  dozen  hounds,  for 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


hunting,  we  asked  him  whether  the  dogs  did  not  kill 
his  sheep?  il  To  be  sure  they  do."  was  his  reply  , 
11  but  the  dogs  are  worth  more  than  the  sheep,  for  they 
give  us  great  sport  in  hunting  deer,  and  foxes  ;  and 
the  sheep  only  give  us  a  little  mutton,  now  and  then, 
and  some  wool  for  the  women  to  make  into  stockings  !" 
This  is  a  mere  matter  of  taste,  thought  we,  and  the 
conversation  on  that  subject  dropped.  Yet,  this  man 
had  a  thousand  acres  of  the  richest  land  in  the  world ; 
raised  three  or  four  hundred  acres  of  corn,  a  year  ;  fed 
off  a  hundred  head  of  cattle,  annually  ;  and  sold  three 
hundred  hogs  every  year,  for  slaughtering  ! 


FISH-PONDS. 

Wherever  water  in  sufficient  quantity  can  be  intro- 
duced by  a  side-cut  from  a  stream,  by  damming  the 
stream  itself  or  by  drawing  it  from  a  large  spring,  and 
the  face  of  the  ground  in  the  vicinity  of  the  house 
can  afford  a  suitable  place,  either  by  inclosing  a  natural- 
hollow  or  ravine  by  a  dam,  or  by  excavation,  a  fish- 
pond is  well  worthy  the  attention  of  a  country  resident, 
even  if  he  be  but  a  small  farmer.  As  an  ornamental 
feature  of  the  place,  it  is  of  the  most  agreeable  charac- 
ter ;  its  utility  will  be  unquestioned.  The  size  of  the 
pond  is  immaterial,  beyond  half  an  acre  in  area — less  it 
jhould  not  be — and  if  it  embrace  even  twenty,  thirty, 
>r  fifty  acres,  provided  the  proprietor  can  afford  to  de- 


HUH  AECHITlLOTUlLE. 


373 


vote  so  much  land  to  that  object,  it  will  be  all  the  bet- 
ter for  the  fish,  both  in  numbers  and  in  quality. 

The  depth  of  water  may  vary — no  matter  how  deep 
— but  the  deepest  part  should  not  be  less  than  ten  feet, 
that  there  may  be  a  cool  retreat  for  the  fish  in  summer, 
and  a  warm  resting-place  in  winter;  and  if  a  depth  to 
that  extent  can  be  made  close  to  the  margin  on  a  part 
of  the  boundary,  it  will  be  all  the  better,  as  the  fish 
may  then  enjoy  the  overhanging  shade  of  the.  bank. 
The  shore  should  be  undulating  if  possible  ;  irregular 
in  its  outline,  and  a  part  of  it  shaded  by  trees  and 
shrubbery,  as  fish  love  shade  as  well  as  sunshine.  A 
part  of  the  shore  should  be  shallow,  and  shelve  off 
gradually  into  the  deep  water,  and  if  partially  grown 
up  with  rushes,  or  lying  on  a  smooth,  clean  sand  or 
gravel,  it  will  accommodate  the  different  varieties  of  fish 
to  bed  and  spawn  upon  ;  some  preferring  the  shady  and 
muddy  bottom  of  the  rush  beds,  and  others  the  pebbly, 
clear  and  sunny  floor  of  the  pond  for  that  object.  The 
temperature  of  the  water  will  vary,  according  to  its 
depth  and  proximity  to  the  shore,  from  ten  to  twenty 
degrees  at  any  given  time,  thus  affording  accommodation 
to  different  varieties  of  the  fish  which  may  inhabit  it 
in  the  various  conditions  of  breeding,  growth,  and 
feeding,  as  they  are  enabled  to  treat  themselves  in  their 
natural  haunts  in  wild  waters. 

According  to  the  clearness,  temperature,  and  purity 
of  the  water,  will  depend  the  selection  of  the  kinds  of 
fish  whien  are  to  inhabit  it.  If  the  soil  forming  the 
bed  of  the  pond  be  light,  and  clean,  and  stonj-,  and  the 
water  be  let  in  from  a  spring,  or  a  spring  brook  of  a 
low  temperature,  the  Speckled  Trout,  and  the  cold- 
water  fishes  which  are  found  in  the  same  natural  waters 
with  them,  may  be  introduced.     Yet  for  trout,  the 


374 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


water  should  have  some  current.  They  are  a  playful 
and  active  fish,  and  nothing  delights  them  more  than 
the  bubbling  water  of  a  spring,  or  the  rapid  shooting 
of  a  stream  over  a  rugged  bed.  Still  in  cool  and  clear 
water,  a  pond  will  satisfy  them  if  the  circulation  be 
such  as  to  avoid  stagnation.  The  trout,  too,  love  a  deep 
hole,  under  a  shaded  bank,  by  the  side  of  a  projecting 
rock,  or  beneath  the  roots  of  a  huge  tree.  There  the 
larger  ones  love  to  gather,  and  from  such  haunts  are 
the  finest  specimens  to  be  drawn  with  the  hook.  They 
love  to  spawn  in  clear  eddies,  in  sunny  spots,  over  a 
stony  or  sandy  bed,  where  their  young  fry  can  feed  upon 
the  animalculi  and  insects  which  play  about  the  margin. 

The  Yellow  Perch,  a  beautiful  and  delicious  fish, 
may  also  be  introduced  into  clear  and  cool  water.  It 
is  quick  and  active  in  its  movements,  bites  readily  at 
the  hook,  and  is  exceedingly  prolific.  In  the  spring 
and  summer  season  it  loves  to  lie  among  rushes  on 
the  margin  of  a  gently -flowing  stream  or  a  still  pond, 
when  it  spawns  and  breeds.  The  perch  will  thrive  in 
water  too  warm  and  sluggish  for  the  trout,  but  like  the 
trout,  it  loves  to  retreat  and  hide  itself  under  a  bank  in 
the  deep  shadow  during  the  day. 

If  the  pond  be  sufficiently  extensive,  the  Bass,  in  its 
varieties  may  be  introduced ;  but  as  they  are  a  much 
larger  fish  than  the  trout  or  the  perch,  they  require  a 
greater  depth  of  water  and  a  wider  range  for  their 
food.  The  bass  is  an  excellent  table  fish,  and  prolific  in 
the  propagation  of  its  kind. 

The  Pike  might  also  be  added,  in  clear  and  cool 
waters.  But  it  is  a  voracious,  heartless  wretch  prey- 
ing upon  every  other  fish  of  lesser  size  within  its  reach, 
and  by  its  rapid  movements  enabled  to  dart  and  seize 
upon  everything  inhabiting  the  same  waters  from  which 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


375 


it  cannot  escape.  A  single  pike  or  two,  introduced  into 
a  close  pond,  has  been  known  within  a  few  months  to 
entirely  depopulate  it  of  all  other  sizeable  fish.  Al- 
though, in  its  natural  haunts,  a  fish  of  excellent  quality 
of  flesh,  they  should  hardly  be  introduced  into  the  do- 
mestic pond. 

The  Yellow  Carp  (the  gold  fish)  is  a  beautiful  crea- 
ture to  throw  into  the  pond.  They  are  not  a  fish  of 
prey  upon  its  fellows,  but  live  chiefly  on  insects  and 
worms.  They  may  be  domesticated  like  the  perch, 
and  fed  from  the  hand,  and  called  by  a  bell  to  their  ac- 
customed feeding  places  in  the  pond.  When  turned 
out  at  large,  their  progeny  will  change  into  silver  and 
brown  varieties  of  color,  while  some  of  them  will  re- 
tain the  deep  orange  of  the  originals.  On  the  whole 
they  are  a  beautiful  and  interesting  fish,  and  should 
always  be  introduced  into  the  pond. 

In  dark  waters,  resting  on  an  oozy  or  muddy  bot- 
tom, the  European  Carp  is  a  capital  and  appropriate 
fish  for  propagation.  It  feeds  like  the  yellow  carp, 
chiefly  on  water- worms,  and  has  a  "  sucker"  mouth, 
and  grows  to  the  weight  of  five,  to  ten  or  twelve  pounds. 

The  Mullet  is  also  a  good  fish  and  of  equal  size  to 
the  carp,  and  when  the  waters  are  cold,  of  the  finest 
flavor  for  the  table.  In  warm  weather,  its  flesh  is  apt 
to  become  soft  and  flavorless.  The  mullet  also  takes 
its  food  by  suction.  It  is  a  fish  of  exceeding  beauty, 
having  large  scales  of  most  brilliant  varying  shades  of 
silver,  purple  and  yellow,  which  give  it  an  uncommon 
richness  in  appearance.  These  u  sucker-mouthed"  fish 
do  not  take  the  hook  like  the  trout,  the  perch,  or  the 
bass,  but  may  be  caught  by  the  net,  or  spear,  as  they 
lie  in  the  shallow  water  near  the  shore,  either  in  the 
day-time,  or  by  torch-light  at  night. 


376 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


The  Silver  Eel  may  also  be  put  into  the  muddy  bot- 
tom pond,  but  when  confined,  they  make  sad  havoc 
with  the  other  fish,  as  well  as  with  young  ducks  or 
goslings,  if  they  are  permitted  to  swim  in  it.  Although 
a  migratory  fish,  they  will  remain  in  confined  waters ; 
but  they  have  too  many  disagreeable  qualities  in  their 
social  relations  to  be  the  companions  of  the  better  fish 
that  we  have  named. 

In  all  waters  where  edible  fish  are  kept,  smaller 
varieties  should  be  introduced,  as  the  Chub,  the  Sun 
Fish  or  Eoach,  the  Dace,  the  Shiner,  the  Smelt,  and 
the  Minnow  ;  they  are  prolific  in  breeding,  and  furnish 
abundant  food  for  the  Bass,  the  Trout,  and  the  Perch, 
which  fatten  upon  them.  The  larger  of  these  yield 
the  finest  of  sport  to  the  children,  with  their  pin  hooks 
and  thread  lines  if  they  have  no  better.  They  are  a 
nice  pan  fish  also,  bating  the  multitude  of  their  little 
bones  ;  but  fried  to  a  crisp,  they  are  seldom  in  the  way. 
In  stocking  a  new  pond,  a  sufficient  variety  of  both 
the  smaller  and  the  larger  kinds  should  be  introduced, 
so  that  a  fair  trial  may  be  had  with  each,  and  such  as 
the  waters  best  suit  will  ultimately  become  the  chief 
tenants  of  the  domain ;  but  if  Pike  and  Eels  be  intro- 
duced, let  them  by  all  means  be  put  in  together,  and 
alone,  to  feed  upon  the  frogs  and  lizards,  or  each  other 
as  chance  and  might  may  govern.  As  a  rule  however, 
the  small  fry  should  have  possession  of  the  waters  for 
at  least  one  year  in  advance,  that  they  may  multiply  to 
a  sufficient  extent  to  supply  partial  food  to  the  larger 
ones  ;  and  as  they  spawn,  and  keep  in  the  shallowest 
waters,  they  will  thus  propagate  in  sufficient  abundance 
to  prevent  a  future  scarcity  when  their  more  voracious 
fellow-lodgers  are  introduced. 

In  ponds  of  sufficient  extent,  fish  may  be  kept  and 


RURAL  ARCHITECT  UKE. 


377 


propagated  to  profit,  aside  from  supplying  the  family 
with  so  great  a  luxury  in  food  as  fresh  fish  are  usually 
esteemed.  They  may  be  fed  with  the  offal  meats  of 
the  slaughter-house  or  the  farm,  or  with  balls  of  flour 
or  meal,  boiled  or  baked.  They  may  be  called  to  a 
particular  point  of  the  pond  to  feed  at  regular  hours,  if 
they  become  accustomed  to  it.  .  Such  extra  feeding  will 
give  them  an  earlier  and  increased  growth,  and  having 
less  need  to  prey  upon  the  smaller  fish,  the  stock  of 
course  will  be  largely  increased. 

The  feeding  and  care  of  fish  will  also  be  a  source  of 
pleasure  and  amusement  to  the  members  of  the  family ; 
and  while  away  many  an  hour  of  leisure  or  idleness 
that  might  otherwise  tempt  away  the  younger  ones  to 
resorts  of  dissipation  or  vice.  In  short,  aside  from  its 
useful  objects,  we  would  have  the  fish-pond,  as  we 
would  the  dove-cote  or  the  rabbitry,  to  give  pleasure 
and  variety  to  the  farm,  and  to  cluster  around  it  all  the 
endearments  with  which  life  in  the  country  should  be 
surrounded. 

To  give  the  fish-pond  its  most  ornamental  features  as 
an  object  of  interest  or  beauty,  it  should  be  partially 
clothed  with  trees  and  shrubs.  In  trees  we  would  se- 
lect the  soft  or  water  maples,  the  willows,  the  water, 
or  black  ash,  the  birch,  and  the  lowland  poplar.  In 
the  way  of  shrubbery,  the  black  alder,  the  wild 
rose,  and  the  osier  willow,  make  a  beautiful  fringe  to  a 
water  margin.  A  certain  expression  of  wildness  should 
be  given  to  the  pond,  where  it  is  of  any  size,  and  if  it 
have  some  hidden  nooks  and  recesses  difficult  to  ap- 
proach from  the  shore,  it  will  be  all  the  better.  Fish 
love  seclusion.  Indeed,  a  pond  haunted  on  every  side 
by  the  foot  of  man,  or  the  tread  of  animals,  is  but  ar 
indifferent  spot  for  their  welfare,  and  the  more  it  car 


378 


RURAL  ARCHITECTURE. 


resemble,  in  outward  appearance  and  keeping,  the  wild 
water  of  the  river,  the  lake,  or  the  natural  pond,  the 
more  congenial  will  it  be  to  the  tastes  and  habits  of  the 
fish,  and  of  course  more  profitable  to  the  proprietor. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  that  the  pond  should 
have  an  outlet  of  sufficient  capacity  to  let  off  its  sur- 
plus water,  and  be  thoroughly  secured  against  accident 
in  bursting  away,  as  an  occurrence  of  this  kind  might 
in  a  few  hours,  destroy  the  labor  and  solicitude  of 
years, 


J GETTY  RESEARCH 

INSTITUTE 

3  3125  01047  7020 

